The Legend of Okami- The Dark Okami
by Naturefairy2014
Summary: We all know the story- the land of Nippon was saved by the great god Amaterasu, and later saved by her son Chibiterasu. But there is another part to the legend. This is the tale of the daughter of the sun: Akimeterasu, and her battle to protect the land of Nippon. Laughs, friends, betrayal, war, love, and unending darkness awaits the young wolf. This is the story of the dark Okami.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_ A long time ago, in the land of Nippon- A sun-goddess ruled the land and protected it. She was an Okami by the name of Amaterasu; she watched over the mortal realm, and kept it at peace. At least, until one fateful night- whenupon her home was attacked by the great eight-headed serpent Orochi. Amaterasu fought valiantly, but he was protected by a mysterious barrier she could not break, and she fell from the celestial plains- dragging the monster down with her. _

_ For many long years Orochi reigned terror down on a tiny village known as Kamiki; until Amaterasu faced the mighty serpent again, this time with the great hero Nagi by her side. They fought, and they won. Sadly, Amaterasu died after the fight- and turned to stone. There she lay for another one hundred years, in slumber._

_ Another century passed, and she was finally awakened when the world was once again in need of her protection. She traveled across the land with a poncle named Issun, and battled many enemies, including Orochi- who had also been awoken-, Crimson Helm, Ninetails, Lekchu, Nekchu, and Yami- the Emperor of Eternal Darkness. _

_ Amaterasu fought long and hard, and after a seemingly impossible battle in which she almost died- evil was vanquished from Nippon. Her power restored to its fullest, Amaterasu returned to the Celestial Plains at last, with an old friend by her side. _

_ However, peace didn't last long in the world of mortals, and mere months after her return, her son Chibiterasu was summoned to face the terrible Akuro- a remnant of Yami's power. With the help of his friends he defeated the enemy, and once and for all secured peace in Nippon. _

_Or so was thought..._

_ There is more to this story than most people know, as few people know about Amaterasu's other child; Chibi's twin, the daughter of the sun. The red sun. The setting sun, Akimeterasu._

_ But...Before I go any further, there is something you must know..._

_You see...That Okami-_

_is me. _

_ I am Akimeterasu, and I have a story to tell. A tale of dragons and war. One of mortals and gods. A story of loyalty, love, friendship, and betrayal._

_One that you'll never forget. _

_The legend of the Dark Okami. _

**(Author's Note- Hello everyone, and thanks for choosing my Okami fan-fiction to read! I know there are a bunch out there. I hope you like it! This work is my tribute to Okami, -my favorite game- as it was completely inspired by it, and I know it will never be on the same level as the game itself, but I shall try my best to write something worthy of it. Clover studios' time ended far too soon. **

**This was originally just written for my own enjoyment, but I've decided to share it with you, the internet. And I hope you do enjoy it. :) If you have any questions about the characters, or story later on, please don't be afraid to ask, and I'll do the best I can to answer them. Well, except questions in which the answer would be spoilers ;) Stick with it, the story starts out similar to Ammy's journey, but then splits off entirely. I hope you enjoy TDO, the story of the Dark Okami. Anyway- Onward, to the first chapter! ****༄****)**


	2. Chapter 1- The Time Has Come

**CHAPTER ONE**

**The Time Has Come**

My eyes opened with a flash of golden light. '_At last the time has come. At last I am ready!'_ I thought to myself excitedly. '_After all this time- this is it!'_ I was standing in the shade of a sacred cherry tree, in my home: the Celestial Plains. I took a deep breath, the wonderful scent of cherry blossoms filling my nose as pale pink petals fell around me. '_Mother's trained me for fifteen years, -my entire life- for this single day. For me to be able to face the world on my own.' _My mind flew back to my endless days of training, months and months of work and practice. She taught me how to fight, and how to use all the brush techniques in strategy and art. I'd been waiting for this moment...truly ever since I was a pup. Since then I've improved in body, skill, mind, and power- so I suppose it was well worth the wait.

I looked at the cherry blossoms falling around me, then to the great mountain that sprouted from the middle of the island- so high up that it must scrape the sun as it passes overhead. This was where I grew up, where all my friends and family were. The Celestial Plains are lands of such great beauty and peace..Why would I ever want to leave? Well, I'd always wanted to go on a great journey, like both my brother and mother had already. They inspired me with their tales of adventure, and ever since I first heard them, I was constantly waiting for this moment to arrive; and now- it's finally here.

I got to my feet, snow-white pelt gleaming in the sunlight; crimson markings glistening. My markings differ from Chibi's and mother's, mine are darker, and more numerous than theirs and very bright. That's why my mother named me Akimeterasu, which means 'bright' and 'red'. My markings were bold even at infancy, and were the first things that she'd noticed about me, and chosen to name me for. Three spiral markings I have on each side grow smaller as they go farther down my back, and seem protected by a shield of red before them on my shoulder. Flame markings course over my sides and chest and even up my neck. The markings on my forelegs seem to have been painted, and drip down from the spirals on the fronts of my shoulders right down my legs. I have another pair of matching red spirals on each hip. My eye-markings go along the top of my eye and the bottom. The red circle on my head encloses a single spiral, starting on the right, and curling around the center; with a flicker of a flame-marking on the left side.

I looked again a final time at the plains around me, and started to run. Flowers springing up from every pawstep as it touched the ground. Divine wind swirled around me as I ran, brushing me with a warm breeze and whispering- wishing me a well journey. Kazegami, the god of wind, was saying a final goodbye from the brushgods. We were close, -I had mastered his technique well- and his son was one of my best friends. My heart clenched as I remembered the feast mother had held in honor of me leaving the plains the night before. All the gods had gathered together in my mother's home, and for one last time we could all join together, gorge ourselves on offerings, tell jokes and laugh the night away one last time, before I left on my journey. '_I'll miss them all very much, but this is something I have to do. I feel it in my heart.'_

I raced the wind, dashing through the fields of green grass. Daffodils, hyacinths, and other flowers growing from wherever my foot fell with each step. The sky was the clearest blue that day, the grass the freshest and deepest green, the weather was most pleasant. But I couldn't enjoy it, my hunger for adventure was gnawing at me, as it had been for the past decade. I knew I would return to the plains someday, and everything would be exactly as it was then. Perhaps the trees would be a little taller, but that is all. Nothing ever changes there.

Eventually the wind died down and flew off in another direction, the horse god had work to do. I was drawing closer to the edge of the plains, when suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw a lone figure perched on a hill. I saw a white flash as the figure leaped down and start to follow me. Gaining on me- until it matched my speed and was running alongside me. _"You don't have to do this yet."_ I heard her voice, my mother, gently speaking to me. _"Waka and I can figure something out, you can st-"_

"You know that can't happen." I broke in, stretching out, covering more ground with every leap. _"No, you're too much like me to delay this adventure for another day."_ She said with a laugh in her melodious bark, and kept pace with me as we made a slight turn, so we were parallel to the edge of the plains. Side by side with one another, it reminded me of so many times when we would race together across the plains to pass time. _"I raised you to be brave, and now I think it's turning against me."_ My mother barked, and I glanced at her to give her a teasing smile, she gave me a small smile in return and continued:_ "Because of that, I want you to be cautious. We have no idea how bad it could be down there. And once you get there, everything becomes real, not just a bed-time story Akime. Monsters, demons, traitors...The danger becomes very real."_ She said. I turned to look at her again, and she looked more serious than perhaps I'd ever seen her- the wolf that in her own time, leapt forward into danger without a second thought- it scared me, but I shook it off. "Come on mother," I said, smiling; teasing her. "Leap before you think, right?"

She gave me a true smile this time. _"Leap before you think."_ She agreed, although I knew inside she was still worried. I turned back to look where I was running, then after a few seconds, said: "Mother...Thank you. For all you've ever done for me. You've taught me so much." We were racing across the landscape, my was heart pounding in my chest. "Don't be sad, you know that this is what I've wanted ever since I was a little pup. And you also know I will not fail. I will return to see you and everyone again. Please-" I turned to look at her again. "-don't worry about me, everything will be fine. You'll see." I said, consoling her. "I promise."

She nodded, and that was all I needed. I was drawing ever closer to the looming void, and Amaterasu slowed down so that she went out of my line of sight. _"Goodbye Akime!" _I heard her howl behind me, and I howled so that she could hear as I rushed ahead. "Goodbye, Mother!" Then I put on extra speed, my paws drumming against the ground. Nervous energy hummed through my body as I raced across the surface of the plains, drawing closer to my goal. We'd talked about how I would depart the plains many times over, whether I should take the ark- but I turned it down. I wanted a fast descent to the mortal world, one that wouldn't draw too much attention.

'_Leap_

I was springing across the grass, -covering almost ten feet a stride- tall grass exploding behind me. _'What will come next? What will I see down there?' _I thought excitedly.

_before_

My eyes widened as my paws suddenly reached the edge, clinging to the ground.

_you_

Excitement pulsing through every vein in my body, I looked out into open space.

_think.'_

I launched myself off the edge of the plains, paws stretching out into nothingness. It was an exhilarating feeling, and it felt almost like flying. Soaring through the air effortlessly, just floating ahead- the sun on my back, the cool air covering me, lifting me up-

And then I was falling, plummeting through clouds. Wind pressed against my body as I sunk below the plains, gaining speed. I twisted my body around, and watched as my home vanished from sight in a flash of swirling white mist.

_'And so, my journey begins...'_

**(AN- This chapter is mostly Akime being anxious and reminiscing. Well, she's leaving the only home she's ever known for the first time. Nothing really happens in this chapter, but it will get way more exciting, I promise! ^.^ **

**To the next chaptaa!) **


	3. Chapter 2- Mr Orange Appears

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Mr. Orange Appears**

I was falling, breaking through cloud. Wind whipped around my ears, and I twisted around again to face the oncoming earth. My body screamed towards the ground at top speed. A dirt path appeared beneath me, which was coming at me at an alarming rate. My heart beat in my ears, and at the last second before I would have slammed into the ground: I did a holy eagle, propelling myself up a little bit and coming down much softer than if I hadn't. My paws still touched the ground with a hard thump, sending out a wave of divine energy as the protective item I'd been carrying sheltered me from full impact. I let out a breath of relief, feeling the earth between my pads. '_Ah, everything's so far according to plan...Now I just need to make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be..'_ I opened my eyes, and saw I was in a large field with an expanse of grass before me, and a red torii behind me. The charm that had saved me left a mark in the path, shaped like a sun and glimmering with remaining energy, a mark that may have remained there for quite some time.

As I walked forward I saw where the moon cave used to be down the cliff, and a dojo to my left. I was sure now, I had landed in Shinshu Field. I picked up my pace to a trot and started my way downhill. I crossed a bridge above a stream leading into the lake, and saw eagles soaring overhead- or were they hawks? I couldn't tell from this distance.

The trail turned off to the left and I followed it, crossing another bridge past a few wooden buildings. I saw a grand tree covered in pink flowers stationed in the middle of the field, and ran up to the great guardian sapling. _'It doesn't look like a sapling to me!' _I thought to myself as I stared up at the branches- It was twice as big as the one planted in the celestial plains. I turned around, and took in the whole area. The field seemed to be in pretty good shape, and as I looked around the area, peering above the hills, I saw an absolutely GIGANTIC tree. '_Konahana!' _ My tail wagged: I had to get a closer look! I started running, tail flying behind me like a ink-strewn flag. As I made my way along the path, a strange feeling came over me. Like there was a chill in the air. '_But that couldn't be...It's summer here...'_

I stopped, ears flicking. I heard something above me, It was a whispering- carried by the wind it seemed...Something wasn't right. I looked up. There, above my head, perched on a cleft of the cliff-face: three green imps looked down at me. I recognized them from the bestiary and my mother's descriptions of imps. Covered in green, bumpy skin, they resembled over-large monkeys. They wore ragged clothes, carried long wooden flute-weapons, and paper masks with a red symbol on them. As soon as they realized that I'd seen them, they all jumped down from their perch, and a fiery fighting ring appeared around us. I sank into a fighting stance, _'Now, I get to test my skills in real battle!'_ I thought to myself. No more dummies, no more mock-fights, these were real demons, and I was ready.

I had a reflector on my back, one of the matching two my mother had given to my brother and I as pups. I'd named mine 'Divine Insurgence'. I lunged at the first imp, the reflector slicing into it and taking away some of its demonic energy as it stumbled backwards. It recovered quickly, and raised its hand -ready to slam me into the ground- but I danced away from its blow. I slashed at it again with my weapon, flames swirling around the disk. Empowered with gold dust, two well-placed strikes were enough to get rid of the imp, and it fell to the ground. As it turned into flowers I had to dodge an attack from its comrade, who tried to attack me from behind. I snarled as it tried to hit me again, then I gave it a good whack with my reflector in a full-on blow, and sliced it in half with a well-aimed power-slash.

As I turned to the third one, it attacked. I side-stepped its flute attack and smashed the wood into pieces with my weapon. Then I slammed the imp with my reflector twice, sending it to the ground. It burst into flowers, and left some yen behind.

I dashed through the evaporating barrier, still determined to see the legendary village. I ran towards a cleft in the hills, passed through a gate, bloomed all the withered trees and charged into the village. Although I had faced my first true monsters, I really had no idea yet of what sort of adventure I had started.

༄༄༄༄༄༄

The sweet smell of cherry blossoms in full bloom greeted my nose, and I took a deep breath, briefly closing my eyes. A fat merchant sat to my right, his hair was gray and his face was wrinkled, and although he had no customers- he looked happy just to be sitting outside and enjoying the flowers. For a moment I considered stopping and buying something, but then I shook my head and walked into the village. Immediately to my right, I saw the house of Susano, 'the Great Worrier'. I chuckled as I looked at the old sign outside his house with the worn-out -or possibly vandalized- word. _'Get a move on!'_ I berated myself, '_Don't forget what you came here for! Do you want to see Konohana up close or not?' _

I crossed a red bridge into the more crowded part of Kamiki, I saw a young man whistling for his dog, who promptly ran up to him and almost tackled him. A teenage-girl who watched them and giggled, and a skinny gray dog gnawing a bone beneath a house- otherwise the village was peaceful and empty. The trees here were in fine condition, -unlike the ones outside, withered by demonic presences- and I sneezed as a petal landed on my nose.

I walked up the stone steps near the back of the village, and took the trail to the left. I looked out across the water to the left of the path, vast and blue- with an island near the shore. Within moments I came upon the great sacred tree; it was at least a hundred feet tall! I passed under the gate and everything suddenly took on a strange green tint, all except the tree. Clouds graced the tree's branches, and every single flower was in bloom on the magnificent tree. I was in awe, but as my gaze traveled down the trunk, I saw a little bouncing dot standing on a basket- and it seemed to be talking to the tree.

"Come back out Sakuya! Take a look at my newest masterpiece!" The poncle bounced up and down, yelling at the tree; he was glowing red with rage. "I know you can hear me! Come out!"

"Issun?" I asked tentatively, padding closer. My heart lifted in hope, Issun had visited the Celestial Plains when I was a pup- I hadn't seen him in years, and it would be nice to see him again. "What?" The poncle exclaimed, turning around. "I'm not Issun!" He said indigently, starting to glow an even brighter red. "I'm-" But he suddenly cut off, because behind him the trunk of the tree started to glow. A young woman appeared from within the tree, she had long, jet-black hair and a pink bikini on.

"Such a pristine and beautiful white coat!" She said. "That divine instrument on your back and crimson markings decorating your body can only mean one thing: you are a wild god of the heavens!" I nodded respectfully to her. "I presume you are a child of the benevolent Amaterasu?" She asked. Before I could respond, the little -now orange/brown- poncle cut in. "What?!" The poncle exclaimed. "This furball here is a god? Ha!" He laughed. I flattened my ears and growled quietly. "Her? Come on Sakuya, she's just a normal run-of-the-mill wolf! Hah, a god- I didn't know you made jokes." I didn't know if he couldn't see my markings, or was just trying to antagonize me. I thrashed my tail in agitation and summoned a sudden wind to blow him over- and that it did. "Oowf!" The poncle said as he fell head-over-heels backwards off the peach basket as it tipped over. He rubbed his head in the area beneath his beetle-hat and looked around in surprise. "Where'd that come from?" He said from between spilled peaches and I glared at him. He met my gaze and said, shocked: "Wait...Was that you? Are you, really...a...?" I nodded. "Yes, I am." I said sharply, and while the poncle was momentarily speechless, I looked back at Sakuya- who was beginning to look a little impatient. She continued, barely missing a step in her speech. "Long has it been since I have gazed upon a god, a decade at least. I am honored by your divine presence." She bowed in the air.

"Aw don't brown-nose, Sakuya! It doesn't become you!" The poncle said, looking upset that he'd been pushed aside by the tree-sprite, even though he'd been there first. Not paying him any attention, the wood spirit carried on: "I'm glad you are here, oh powerful goddess, what name may I call you?"

"My name is Akimeterasu." I said, sitting down. She raised her bare arms. "A great evil has begun to stir, demons become more courageous, and dare roam the village at night. People are disappearing and rivers drying, please- help us!"

"Gladly!" I said, wagging my tail. Sakuya looked a bit surprised at my abrupt, and informal speech. "That's why I came here, after all!" I smiled and wagged my tail. "Oh- splendid." The wood sprite said somewhat more lamely than before, but quickly regained her regal stance.

"Now that you're both done..." The poncle said, crossing his arms. "I'll show you my new work, -Sakuya- whether you want me to or not!" He pulled out a full-size piece of paper from his pouch and unrolled it. I wondered how it managed to fit in there, but I walked forward to see the drawing nonetheless- and I was stunned.

"Pretty good right?" The poncle said with pride. "It took me two weeks to finish this one, but it turned out well, if I do say so myself!"

"It certainly did" I added. It was a painting of the whole of Shinshu field. You could almost feel the wind, nearly smell the blossoms from the guardian sapling. "Wow, this is really amazing!" I said. "Like I said." The poncle said, waving his hands like a bow at my praise. "Now, I'll just put this back before you drool on it." Then he whipped it away. I frowned, he was obviously very prickly- much like I remember Issun had been. "By the way wolf...god, person- I'm Hiraku, student of the talented celestial envoy Issun, I'm sure you've heard of him?" I nodded, then lifted my paw and put a claw in his tiny outstretched hand. "Yes, I met Issun when he visited the plains several years ago, and I remember him well. He used to help me practice my brush skills, and tell tales of Nippon! My name is Akimeterasu, daughter of the sun goddess Amaterasu. It's-" A small cough drew our attention, Sakuya looked at us impatiently. "Akimeterasu, since you have so graciously accepted to help me protect the land of Nippon, I'm sure Hiraku could show you around the village if you wished,-."

"Oh, okay. Follow me furball!" He said, speaking before she could finish. "...But first we clean up these fruit." Then he gestured to the scattered fruit. I helped him clean up, rolling the peaches back into the basket with my nose. Sakuya bade us farewell, and then disappeared back into the trunk of the great tree. "Aww, I was hoping to spend more time with her." Hiraku said disappointedly. "You know how your mother met my mentor right?" The little poncle said with a sly grin, and I rolled my eyes. "Yes." He laughed at my un-amused response, and although he did seem a little sharp-tongued...and a little bit perverted like Issun, but I couldn't help but smile. He seemed like he could be a fun companion.

When we were done, I picked the full basket up in my jaws. Then he bounced along besides me as we went down the path away from Konahana, "So, Akimeterasu...I think we might have started off on the wrong foot, let's start this over. I'm Hiraku. Extremely handsome, talented, vigilante warrior, and wandering artist." He professed, then looked to me expectantly. "I'm Akime." I said, dipping my head. "Professional goddess, trained master of a deadly paintbrush, and an overall very modest wolf." I proclaimed, matching his joking, light-hearted tone. "Oh yes, I can tell." Hiraku said, snickering. "I was wondering: whether or not your powers are limited to blowing over poncles. If not- what is their extent?" He asked, rather nonchalantly. "Well...I'm not quite as powerful as my mother, but if there's ever an annoying flea you need to do a summersault off a basket, or shelves repaired, or powerful demons fumigated- I'm your goddess." I said with a mischievous grin. "Relaxed with your powers, I see. Not like some uptight deities I know." He replied, I could hear a smile playing on his lips. "I think I'm going to like you."

"Yes, well, as long as you keep perverted jokes to a minimum, I think we'll get along fine." I said, only half-joking.

"You misjudge me, Akime." He exclaimed in mock-hurt. "I can be a gentleman if I want to. Buut you're stuck with me anyway until I finish showing you around! Ha!" He said evilly, and I snorted. "...Which I should probably be getting to right about now-" He cleared his throat and said importantly: "As you know, _this_ is Kamiki Village-" Bouncing from the ground onto my nose, he gestured around- his tiny arms spread wide. "A peaceful, seemingly ordinary hamlet with a disturbing past of virgin-centered violence. Also featuring this house, that house, and that house with the orange on top. Not to mention a rice farm and the laziest ex-warrior to ever roam the land."

"Right." I said, dipping my head slightly and trotting forward into the village with him bouncing on my nose. I found that even though my eyes were focused on him, I could dodge trees and houses and other things out of the corner of my eyes, but then- "Oomph!" I collided with someone who was in my poncle-blindspot. It was a middle-aged woman with slightly graying short hair that resembled a comb. "What was that?" She exclaimed, straightening up. "Geez, do you need glasses furball?" Hiraku muttered grumpily, and stood up, since he'd been knocked down by the collision. "Oh! Hello wolfie!" she said, bending down to pet me, as I sat -dazed- among the yet again scattered peaches.

I found out in that instant that I liked being pet, and lifted my leg to scratch an non-existent itch. "You remind me of that god-wolf that visited us years ago." She said to herself, leaning away for a second. "I remember there was a pup too. Are you that pup I wonder? All grown up?"

"Nope, that was my brother!" I barked cheerfully, but she didn't understand. "I'll bet you are! You sure have grown!" I shook my head, looking up at Hiraku for guidance. "They can't understand wolf, Akime." He said, looking down at me. "Fortunately, I can translate. Hey-" He suddenly said, looking at the woman. "Oh, a poncle too!" She exclaimed, jumping back. "Is that you Hiraku?"

"You betcha, Kushi!" Said the orange-brown poncle. "Sorry, I haven't been introduced to your wolf friend have I?" She said. "My name is Kushi, sake-brewer and wife of the great warrior Susano!" She did a small bow. "Well you already know me- but this here's Akime! She's new to this region. She's ah, related to that wolf-god that came here some years back."

"Really? She's related to Snowy-I mean- Amaterasu?" The sake-brewer said, with surprise in her voice. "Here, take this, I've been meaning to sell it, but I haven't had the time. It's an honor to meet another relative of Snowy, so I really hope you enjoy it!" She pulled something out of her pouch- it was some sake. I put it away in my travel pouch and barked a thanks to her, '_She's really nice!'_ I thought. "Goodbye Akime!" She called as I walked away. "and Hiraku!" Hiraku stayed quiet, and didn't answer back- no doubt angry at being mentioned second again.

I walked over the red-brown wooden bridge and heard screeches, so I looked up. Two giant birds circled the sun above, then one suddenly dove down over the lake and pulled out a fish- making water splash around it like liquid wings. Then it rose again into the sky, and took off back to the cliffs to eat its quarry.

Some white rabbits huddled in the tall green grass in the path leading out of the village, surrounded by flowers. People talked nearby, laughing and in high spirits. '_Kamiki sure is alive this time of year! And for all the demonic disturbance happening lately, Sakuya's done a good job protecting it.' _I thought to myself, smiling.

I trotted along the path that headed out of the village when Hiraku stopped me. "Hold up furball, I need to sell these peaches! THEN we can go, ok?" He said. I shrugged, then walked up to the old smiling merchant along the cliff. We sold most of the basket, but Hiraku saved one for himself, and one for me. They were delicious, huge, tasty, and a perfect orange-pink mix. While we ate the juicy, sticky peaches, conversation began again. "So..." Hiraku said, wiping away some juice with his sleeve.

"That sake brewer, Kushi, said that a pup visited the village a few years ago that looked like you, do you know who it was?" He said, taking another bite. "Yes," I licked my lips. "My brother: Ame-no-Oshihomimi no Mikoto- also known as Chibiterasu; or sometimes Chibi. He actually helped inspire me to come down here, to use my powers for the well-being and protection of Nippon." I wiped my muzzle again. "I heard my mother talking about her adventures over and over again on the plains, but they were only stories to me- they all happened before I was alive. But when my brother came back, retelling his adventures with such great detail..that was the final strike that burst my lust for adventure into a flame." I swatted away my peach core with one paw. "So he's your inspiration huh? He must be a really good story teller to get you to want to come down here. With monsters, thieves, and a wide variety of other jerks roaming free." He said, leaning back on his hands. "I suppose so." I said.

"Are you done?" I asked him. "Yeah." He replied, rolling the peach away. "Well, here's your chance for adventure Akime!" Hiraku said, springing onto my head. "Adventure, fame, glory...That sounds pretty good actually...Mind if I come along? You'll need someone who knows the land like I do!"

"Well, um, sure! Why not?" I said, looking back at the poncle, and he bounced up my leg and onto my head. '_It seems like I can trust him,'_ I thought to myself as I padded along the road and through the entrance of Shinshu field. The sun was just starting to approach the horizon in the distance. '_If he's really a student of Issun's, I should be able to...I just hope I can.'_

**(Ah, don't you remember in Okami how it took FOREVER for Sakuya to stop praising you? I think those parts were the most boring ones in the game. And so Hiraku enters the storyline. He's not a complete replacement for Issun, (he'll come into the story later) and their personalities ARE different, slightly. Issun was his idol growing up though, that's why he became an artist and models himself after the green poncle. The actual adventure still has yet to commence D: but we're getting to it, hang in there! :D**

**To the next chapterr!~)**


	4. Chapter 3- Agata Forest

**CHAPTAH TREE**

**Agata Forest**

I sat down and yawned, it was getting rather late in the day, and the sun was starting to touch the horizon in the west. I was outside a building Hiraku had introduced to me as 'The Dojo'. I looked it over. The old structure was slightly decayed, and some paint had faded away, but it still gave off a dignified look. "Come on, let's go in!" Hiraku pushed on the door so it would slide open. "Wait up for a second!" I barked. We'd been running around Shinshu all afternoon, and I needed a moment to rest my paws. I stretched, walked up to the door, and opened it with a sweep of a gale-mark.

"Who's there?" a voice came from inside, it was very dark within the old building. As light started to fill the place, I saw a sitting figure next to a flickering candle near the back. "I'm sorry..not open today- come back later." The figure turned out to be an old man, and he closed his eyes again. His hands were on his legs in a meditative position. Then his eyes opened again. "Wait...You...Come closer so I can get a good look at you." He said, and I came slightly nearer, wary- anything could be in the shadows. "Oh, a wolf has come down from the mountains to play." The man said, using his cane to get to his feet. He was so bent over his back was almost completely parallel to the ground. He had an impressively large chin, squinting eyes and a mustache. His voice was very soft, and almost cracked every time he spoke. "I don't receive many visitors these days, because of those demons stopping people from coming through the forest. How nice to have some company!" He patted me behind the ears. '_Wow, all these people are so nice! Hiraku must be some kind of freak anomaly.' _I thought to myself. _'I'm surprised he has need to defend himself- what sort of being, even a demon, would attack an innocent old man like him anyway?'_ I had a feeling that I'd heard about a Dojo Master from Mother's stories..but I couldn't exactly remember him very well..

"I'm Onigiri Sensei, master of this Dojo," He said, and the name sounded slightly familiar. "You look like a very nimble wolf, a speedy fighter. I've taught a couple canines in my time. Everyone, even the woodland creatures need good protection from monsters! Especially with what's been supposedly lurking in the forest. There seem to be so many monsters these days...You know, I might even be able to teach you something! But I'll have you know, I don't teach for free..."

Nonetheless, he showed us a scroll that had different fighting techniques written down on it. I looked down the scroll of moves, most were crossed off. They were either already known to me, or the equipment to teach those moves were broken. "So, what about me? Anything you could teach a poncle?" Hiraku said hopefully, standing on my head and facing the old man, who gave him a squinting stare. "Oh, no. I've seen you carelessly bouncing around the field with your needle of a sword, and first you need to learn respect! Then, you need to replace those weapons racks you broke scaring my pigs- before I teach you anything." The poncle crossed his arms and glared at Onigiri, but then one move caught my eye: 'The Death Spiral'.

It was within my price range, and looked interesting. I put my paw on the scroll and wagged my tail. "Are you sure, wolf?" The old man asked me, and I nodded my head. "I suppose I have no choice..." He said with a sign, and creaked to an upright stance. "Aah, OOOH!..." Suddenly his head began to spin around and around, until it was _upsidedown_! I suddenly realized his large chin was a forehead, and his mustache was really his eyebrows!

"EIAAH!" He shouted, in a much firmer, stronger voice; waving his -thought to be cane but it was really a beating stick- through the air. **"Are you mentally prepared to handle the ultimate challenge? Step inside to test your might!"** He shouted in a well-practiced tone. Hiraku and I shared a creeped-out look, and he whispered: "Good luck, furball!" Then I silently walked past the strange martial-arts teacher and through the doors.

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We were in a large room, on a yellow platform surrounded by live bamboo and rocks. Onigiri Sensei paced in front of me, and I snapped back to attention. He was studying me, so I stood even straighter. Hiraku was watching from the sidelines, sitting down and eying what was going on keenly. "Let the lesson begin! We'll practice the Death Spiral technique. Take these tips to heart and remember as we train.." He handed me the scroll, and I read: 'The Death Spiral. Use the fighting barrier (or any firm nearby object) to your advantage! Jump off the wall to charge forward and knock your opponent over.' _'Sounds easy enough,'_ I thought, and pushed the paper aside. "I've never taught this technique to a wolf before, but it shouldn't be too different than a human. Now-" He pointed his beating-stick at a dummy. "Since I don't have a real barrier we're going to have to make do with this one." Then a bamboo wall sprung out of the ground behind me. "Begin!" He smacked his cane against the ground with a resounding crack. _'Right,'_ I thought to myself. _'Spring off the wall...'_

I put one paw back, getting into a balanced fighting stance. Then I growled and whipped around to face the wall and leaped; landing squarely on it. In one swift moment, I pushed with my back paws so I sprang off the wall. I sped through the air, my paws circling around eachother in a spiral. The rest of my body followed so I was spinning at top speed, I focused on the target and... Whack! I knocked it over with the force of my impact. I stood on its cloth, straw-filled chest, blood was thrumming through my head from the speed of the attack. I turned around and the parts of the dummy still standing, fell apart slowly.

"Hmm..You have trained well wolf." Sensei said, still in his 'fighting mode'. "I wish I could teach you more, but my other technique scrolls are in my other dojos."

"Well, why don't you just go fetch them sometime?" Hiraku asked from the sidelines.

"I would," The old man said, slowly sinking back into his gentler state- it was still really creepy to watch. "But when news that a god trained in my dojos spread, I had more people wanting to learn martial arts from me than I knew what to do with. For a few months, I had to shut them down to renovate, but when I re-opened, they were more popular than ever before! But eventually, it attracted demons. I started doing open sparring every night, and one snuck in. It won the all the matches, and when I was away- it took control of said dojo. Now it's a house for demons." He sighed, putting all his weight on the cane. "Then the same thing happened to my other one a few weeks later, now all that's left is this one, and no one visits anymore."

"Why don't you fight off the imps then?" Hiraku asked. "Because they'd recognize me, I can't get within a hundred feet of the place without being swarmed by demons, it's too much, even for a master like me." He sighed, now back in his kindly-old-man state. "Well," Hiraku said and he stopped bouncing. "How about we drive those monsters out for you?" he drew his needle-sized sword. "That would be very kind of you," Onigiri Sensei said, bowing as low as he could while still leaning his cane. "but do not underestimate the bosses of the dojos. They are master fighters."

"No problem-o" Hiraku said, "I'm sure Akime here can handle it." I looked at him, and raised my eyebrows. "You remind me of that god who trained here," The old man said. "They were also a white wolf like you." Before either Hiraku or I could respond to say I was: 'her daughter actually', he suddenly looked out the window and froze. Then he said hurriedly: "Time for you two to be going!" Then he shooed us out. The door slammed firmly closed behind us. "What was that about?" Hiraku asked as the sun sank below the hills and darkness set in the field. "Is he afraid the demons will attack him at night, or something? Well, I wouldn't be surprised, what with his other two Dojos being taken over. But no time to wonder about that-" He said. "We have a quest Akime! We'd better look out for dojos on our travels!"

"Yeah, but we can't stray from our main goal." I barked. "Which is what exactly?" Hiraku asked. "Well, to rid Nippon from all evil of course. I'm curious to see what Sensei was talking about, with monsters in Agata forest, I think we should start there."

"You're a high-achiever, no doubt about that Akime." Hiraku laughed, and I grinned, then I yawned. It was late, and all the running I'd done that day had tired me out- I was ready for rest. I wandered over to the edge of the water tunnel, then walked between two trees nearby. A couple of wild boars were sleeping there, so I put out some seed feed-bags I'd picked up down by them- so they wouldn't attack us while we were sleeping. I turned in circles a few times and Hiraku jumped off my nose. He grabbed a leaf off one of the trees and fashioned a quick pillow out of it by folding it upon itself and cutting it neatly with his blade; then he grabbed another and made a tiny blanket. He laid down and wrapped himself up in it. "Goodnight Akime." He said. "Good night, Hiraku." I said in return.

He fell asleep quickly, I could hear his tiny snores within seconds. I watched the small poncle's chest rise and fall, his bug-hat askew. It gave me a chance to truly study his tiny features, and reflect on his personality. Often times, I mirror others' behavior without knowing or trying. I looked closely at the little poncle: His face was young, 20 years at most. His orange leafy hat had small branches on them, probably to imitate a beetle. He wore a orange-brown tunic, the color of leaves in fall. I could see brown-black short hair beneath his hat...My eyelids drooped, suddenly I yawned again. As far as I knew, he seemed like a good soul, -a little rough around the edges- but he seemed to have a good heart. Sleep suddenly overpowering me, I curled up, tail-over nose and slept.

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When morning finally reached Shinshu Field, the whole area was graced with a soft yellow-pink light. The light reflecting off the lake woke me as it shined into my eyes. I blinked slowly awake and stretched out my front legs. I wasn't used to sleeping on grass, but it wasn't the worst night's sleep I'd ever had. Beside me, Hiraku was just waking up as well- his tiny snores breaking off mid-breath. He sat up, leaf blanket falling away. "Ah, what time is it?" He asked, and I shrugged. I had no idea, but it was impossible to keep sleeping because of the bright light off the lake. "Too early." I replied, and he snorted. "Yeah, you got that right." He stretched his tiny arms above his head and then got to his feet. "Well, where to?"

"I think we agreed to go farther south, to the forest. So we could investigate what's happening, just in case." I said, looking to the canal, which I assumed lead to Agata forest. "Ok then." The poncle said, and bounced onto my head as I got up.

I padded over to the dock, where the ferry used to be. I saw a small boat tied to a pole, but we had no need for that. I felt Hiraku grab my fur tightly as I leapt down towards the water; but before I touched the surface, I whipped my tail in a circle and my paws landed on a lily pad. A frog leaped off, -croaking in fright- and I sat down. Using the brush again, I summoned a strong wind to blow us across the water. We glided smoothly across the surface of the water, my ears buffeted by the gale, my fur a mess, but I didn't care. We passed through the water-tunnel rather quickly, and soon came to a halt when the lilypad bumped into a rock wall. I bunched my legs under me and leaped up, landing on all four paws.

"I thought they'd fix this passage someday." I murmured aloud, remembering that in my mother's stories the tunnel had been in the same condition. "They've been working on it." Hiraku said. "You'll see on the Agata forest side." I walked into the earthy tunnel, the other side was just visible- a small blue-white dot in the distance. I picked up my pace to a trot, and I saw it was wider on the other end. I broke out of the darkness, and back into the light. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I saw Hiraku was right. People obviously had been trying to get the ferry back into business- with wood piled nearby, shovels and a shallow pool of water where the boat was meant to dock on the other side, but apparently work was going very slow.

The forest was calm and quiet, with almost an eery feel. Since the passage ends on a high point, we got a good view of the forest. Mist gathered in the high branches of gigantic trees, and yellow-white light filtered through the leaves. I walked down the steep trail, claws digging into the ground. The path was slightly overgrown, with vines and branches seeming to reach out into the way, not wanting to stay confined. I had to duck under a mess of twisted and knotted branches as I walked; and as I padded through the forest, I noticed it was very quiet. There were a few birds singing, but all and all- it was very peaceful and silent. The rushing of a waterfall could be heard in the distance. The green forest was just barely waking up, and the serene beauty of it was captivating. Nothing seemed immediately wrong. Hiraku stretched and laid back from his perch on my head. There didn't seem to be any trouble, but my ears kept flicking in every direction in search of danger anyway. Better safe than sorry.

Ducking under more brambles I made my way along the path, deeper and deeper into the forest. It was slightly...Eerier...than I had thought it should be, and no one seemed to be out; not even any animals. I trotted down another incline, scenting for any signs of life, and a fighting barrier rose around me. I growled, mostly in annoyance. Three creatures appeared before me, two imps, -one green, one red- and a Bud Ogre. The Red Imp isn't much different than its cousin, other than it's a different color and carries a guitar instead of a flute- it's not very dangerous. The Bud Ogre on the other hand: with its agile paws, long mace tail, and impenetrable giant pink bloom on its back- is much more of a threat.

I heard the clink of metal as Hiraku drew his sword. The imps spread out behind the Bud Ogre, and I lunged forward. The Red Imp dodged backward, evading my attack. The huge Bud Ogre paced in front of me, its long claws leaving shallow scores in the ground. When I came within reach it grabbed behind it and swung its mace-like tail, now it was my turn to dodge. _'I have to weaken it enough so that I can open its bud.'_ I thought to myself, as the red-faced demon prowled before me. The Green Imp on my left suddenly came forward and tried to hit me, I ducked back and growled. I was close to the edge of the fighting barrier, so I jumped up on the wall, and leaped -spinning- toward the green imp. I heard it squawk as I hit it, and it fell to the ground- exploding into a bunch of flowers. _'Well, that was effective!' _ I thought to myself again, -very pleased- and spun to lash at the Red Imp. It tried to use its guitar as defense, but I power-slashed it and cut the instrument in half. With nothing to block my attacks, the monster was easily defeated in a matter of seconds. As the imp fell backwards, I power-slashed it- to finish it the proper way.

So, with no other demons to draw my attention, I focused on the large Bud ogre. Deciding I should deal with it in the fastest way possible, I flicked my tail, and drew a cherry bomb right in front of it. The beast looked shocked, but a moment later it was flung backward by the force of the explosion. It landed on its belly several feet away, stunned. Its color drained away, and I took my chance to use my brush again, and drew a circle on the monster. Its back opened up, and I saw what lay protected inside: a colorful glowing orb, that held its power. I attacked it with my weapon, and I saw the monster flinch. I whacked it again, and again, and on the fourth hit- it split in two. The Bud Ogre groaned, then its body faded away as it turned into a giant lily-like flower. "Wow." I heard Hiraku say, awe in his voice as I picked up the spare yen. "Good job." "Thanks." I replied gratefully. "Monsters these days walk around in the open, thinking they own the place." Hiraku grumbled, sounding resentful. "Brave warriors are hard to find, braggarts are easy; but those who actually can fight -and are willing to go and fight- are rare." He said quietly. "Good to know I picked one of the real ones." He finished, more cheerfully. "And you? Are you a real fighter too?" I asked, as he bounced to the ground, hopping in front. "Me? You bet! Once, a filthy, rotten Namaghage tried to attack Ponc'tan, and I drove it off while everyone else was hiding inside! Then, there was another time when I was in the city, and someone tried to cheat me with a deal. You know what happened to him afterward?" I shook my head, and he drew his sword. There was a thick patch of interwoven plants in front of us, and I saw a flash of orange and silver as the poncle leaped into the air, preforming several cuts. When he landed back on the ground, pieces of branches and vines fell apart in front of us, and thumped onto the forest floor. I wagged my tail in applause and Hiraku waved it away. "He's lucky I held back, it's easy really when-" But he broke off, because before us was the source of everyone's apparent departure. The gates to Tsuta ruins.

The great stone doors stood tall and intimidating before us, but a strange evil energy seemed to pulse from it. I walked closer, there was a faint scent near the entrance, like someone had gone in recently, but there was a different smell too; something foul. Hiraku came closer and put one of his small hands on the door. "Looks like maybe someone went in here...Wait, where's the key?" I looked around, on the doors was a little teardrop-shaped indent- where the key to the ruins goes-, and an ancient-looking white shape with a red spiral one it lay discarded on the ground a few feet away. I grabbed it up in my jaws and came closer to the door, then wedged it between the two doors.

With a crack and noises of crumbling rock, the doors slid apart. I felt a blast of evil that made me shiver as it hit me. I took a step forward and I heard a voice behind me. "You really sure you want to go in there?" The poncle asked nervously, and I looked over my shoulder at him. "Not afraid are you?"

"No!" He said indignantly. "You can back out now if you want to. I wouldn't blame you." I said calmly, and understanding. "No way! If you're going- I'm going!" He remarked bravely, then hopped onto my back and made his way up my spine to my head, so he stood on my muzzle. "Let's go!" He said courageously. So I lifted my head, and walked into the darkness.

**(Onigiri Sensei! *Gaasp* Proud sponsor of: yoga. Seriously, I don't know how the guy does that. 0.o Also, *Another gasp* are we actually getting to some adventure here? Yaaay! **

**In the next chapter: someone's weakness is revealed, an ancient evil returns, the thing we all fear...and some monster butt-kicking. :3)**


	5. Chapter 4- Tsuta Ruins

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Tsuta Ruins**

I entered a large chamber, and the first thing I noticed, was everything looked green. Well...except for-

"Webs." Was all Hiraku said, and that summed it up perfectly. Gigantic webs were strewn across the walls, over several places on the ginormous statue in the middle of the cavern, and all over the ceiling of the gigantic room. _'What's going on here?' _I wondered to myself. The chamber was about a hundred feet tall, probably more, and a statue -of what looked like a Dogu- was in the middle of it all- surrounded by water. Several steppingstone-like mounds led from where the path ended, to the base of the statue. However, blocking the base of the statue was a mass of webs. _'How is this possible? I thought that evil vanished from the ruins when my mother killed the spider queen! Or at least, that the spiders did...'_

I looked around, all the Konahana blossoms had wilted away, so there was no way to the top of the Dogu statue. I drew a line across the webs blocking the base of the statue- but it was no use. The strings were cursed, and so thickly entwined that powerslash did nothing. My gaze returned to the ceiling, where many webs were cast across it. There was a huge mass of webs at the top of the cavern, knotted closely together, holding up the top of the statue. An idea started to form as I looked at the white-coated ceiling. Since the blossoms were gone, and the base offered no real way in...maybe there was another way to get to the top yet.

"Hey Hiraku," I said, turning to the tiny poncle. "Yeah?" He said, not turning to look at me, taking in the cavern. "Do you think that we could get up to those top ledges?"

"I suppose so, why?" He asked, looking at me curiously. "Look at all those webs, I think something...or some _things_ are nesting here in the ruins. Plus, judging by all these webs, the statue is their main lair- so we should try and get in." He nodded in agreement. "Ok, so, first step- find a way into the statue." He said, staring it at it intently. "It would be easier to cross over to the statue from higher up..." I said looking up again, and Hiraku lifted his gaze to the roof as well, scanning the edges of the ceiling. "Hey! Look, over there!" He said, pointing to a small area near the back of the cavern, it was a small tunnel leading off into the wall at the top of the chamber. "If we can find out where that comes from, we can get up there!" He said, and I wagged my tail excitedly. "Ok! Let's get going!"

Hiraku bounced up onto my head as I started to canter towards the right side of the cavern, where there was an opening in the wall. I passed through the door, and into another web-covered room. There were a couple withered trees in the area- and I revived them as I passed by. But before I could cross through the opposing door, a fighting barrier arose, and I had to slide to a sudden halt to avoid running into it.

Clay Soldiers came down from the walls, where they had been perched like statues. The dark brown monsters had very long, flexible limbs, and pulsing green markings etched onto their skin. They looked humanoid, and I recalled that these demons were born from the souls of sacrificial martyrs possessing clay statues...It was a terrible way to die. I hoped, as my weapon smashed through them -breaking them into fragments- that their angered spirits would now be at peace. "Evil has definitely returned to Tsuta." I murmured quietly as I passed through the door.

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Hiraku and I explored every room after the one with the Clay Soldiers to their extent, we walked through them again and again, but we couldn't find any way that appeared to lead to where we wanted to go. We ran into more Clay Soldiers, one particularly grouchy Bud Ogre, and yet more webs- but not what we needed.

"Argh!" I snapped, frustrated- and slashed through a clay pot standing near the wall. "This is ridiculous! How can there be a tunnel that leads to nowhere?" I fumed, pacing in a room we must have been in three times before. Hiraku was perched on a ledge, one of many that lead up; connected by old logs. "Calm down Akime." He said, cleaning off his beetle-hat from dirt and cobwebs. "That poor pot did nothing to you, and wearing a ravine into the floor isn't going to help anything."

I growled as my thrashing tail got caught in a web close to the ground and I whipped it free with a harsh flick. "There can't be...It has to have an entrance somewhere!" I mused aloud, and sat down on the ground, flattening my ears and trying to calm down. There had to be a solution, something I wasn't seeing yet. _'I have to just stop and think about this. It's not like the answer's going to fall from the sky.' _

"You just need to stop and take a step back." Hiraku said, mirroring my thoughts. "We can come up with a different plan if we need to." He added with a shrug. I looked up, green light flooded through the cavern, giving everything a strange tint. Almost all the logs were in place, save one. One near the top required me take an extra big leap, because it had fallen prey to one of the giant webs, and was now dangling from two long strings high above the floor. I had a strange idea, and got to my feet. I looked from the log, to a wall near where it was pointing, and I tilted my head. That wall looked slightly different than the others...

I leaped up the first ledge, and ran up a couple of the log-bridges so I could get closer. When I was almost even with it, I stopped. "What're you doing?" Hiraku said, coming up after me. "Testing the integrity..." I said, pressing my paws against the log to aim it where I wanted, then withdrawing to the ledge, to draw a straight line across one of the strands. It cut, and the log swung forward right by us and into the wall below. The wall smashed apart, crumbling and revealing open space on the other side. "Of this fake wall!" I said, smiling.

"Ha! I told you to just take a step back and we'd figure something out!" He said, hopping through the demolished stone wall. I rolled my eyes at him, and followed, stepping over chunks of rock. We followed the now unblocked passage, until we came to a large, circular room. Somewhat similar to the one we'd just left, except larger, and this one was built differently. In the center, was a large, bare patch of ground, and to the right were some giant mushrooms, leading up to a high ledge, which itself lead to nowhere, but across from it was a matching ledge that went off down a tunnel. There were still webs in this room, sadly, and I sighed. I couldn't see anything that could be of use in this room, at least, not yet.

I went up to the large patch of dirt, expecting to revive it, but the dirt seemed perfectly healthy, even in place. "Maybe something's supposed to go here." Hiraku said, and I nodded. "Let's go back and check the tunnels again, maybe there are more hidden passages." I barked, and he sighed at the prospect of going through -again-, but he hopped up on my back. Before, we didn't know there were rooms behind the walls, maybe now we could see clues that we couldn't before.

We walked back to the beginning, and to the long walkway beyond it. I looked at the walls closely, looking to find anything out of place; but, the results were the same as before: nothing. Only watching shadows, that a few times I could have sworn were moving, even following us.

"Wait a second!" Hiraku said suddenly, drawing his sword. "Look over there!" I looked around, and suddenly saw something trapped in the webs near the ceiling, I was sure there was nothing there when we were in that hall before. "Is that...?" I said, drifting off. "A treasure chest!" He shouted, drawing his sword and leaping off my head, climbing the small strands up towards the chest. I was suddenly wary, certain that it wasn't there before. "Hiraku, maybe you shou-" I said, but it was too late, he was already up next to the chest, slashing away at the webs. "Oh, come on Akime, it's a treasure chest! Treasure! What's the worst that could-" He said, and cut off as the treasure chest plummeted to the floor. It landed on the stone floor with a heavy slam, and sent the other side of the stone panel up into the air, which broke off and flew forwards. It hit the opposite wall, and sliced clean through it.

"Well, lit ooks like your greed for treasure has at least one good consequence." I said, padding up to the wall and peering through. As I looked around, I could see he wasn't paying attention to me, just trying to hack his way into the chest. I slashed a clean mark straight over the chest, and it popped open. "Sweet, let's check out the goods!" He said, focused completely on the treasure. Inside was an old vase, and a carved tablet. "We'll split, 50-50." Hiraku said, and I nodded absentmindedly, focused on the slab of stone; the tablet looked more important than your average piece of treasure. With the chest emptied, I blew up the rest of the wall, and saw that beyond it was a room with a large glass container near the back that seemed to be filled with several large, round objects. There was a large panel of stone with several strange buttons and levers on the it, but they all were in severe disrepair, currently useless. The glass bubble in the back of the room had some writing on it that I couldn't decipher. Looking at the wall, I could see the same thing. Most of the writing had faded away anyway, but there were a couple pictures that were distinguishable. One of them was a tree. I got back to thinking about the large, bare patch of ground in the other room, and started to get what was going on- and what needed to be done.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hiraku said, who was standing in front of the glass, looking in at the objects inside. There was a small slot in the giant panel, and I took out the tablet we'd found in the chest. It slid in perfectly, and small sections of the stone began to glow with a green light. Beside the giant container was a giant lever that stuck up out of the ground. It was terribly rusted, plus the top half was completely gone. I was sure that in this state- all my strength wouldn't be able to move it. So I quickly blotted in the missing part, and the rest of the lever appeared. I rammed against it, -using my shoulder to push as hard as I could- and it shifted. I could hear the groan of old gears being put into motion after centuries of rest, and although the machine complained, I saw one of the round things -I was now positive was a seed- roll into a glass pipe that lined the ceiling of the room. Hiraku bounced back to my side, and I ran back down the tunnel, keeping my eyes on the seed as it rolled through the glass. Then in front of us there was a sudden commotion, and I heard a loud hissing sound. I came to a jarring halt, and looked around as I saw a many-legged figure crawl back into a large crevice in the ceiling.

"_What was that_?!" Hiraku said, staring after the shadow in shock. "A conformation." I said, staring at the place where the dark form had disappeared. I was now certain of what we were up against. "They know we're here." I said in a low tone. "And they were either trying to hide the tablet, or help us get into that room." Hiraku looked at me scornfully. "What, the monsters? They're never that bright, if anything they were going to hide it away from us. If they have a lick of sense, they'll go run and hide from us!" He said. "Yes, from you." I said, I rolled my eyes. "Yeah! What did I tell you before? I'm a defender of Yoshpet, and of righteous businessmen everywhere!"

"Oh?" I said. "Yes, remember that guy I told you had tried to cheat me?"

"Oh yes, I'm sure the papercuts from that battle must have stung for weeks." I said, with a snarky smile. "Har-har." He said unenthusiastically. "He's lucky I spared him."

The glass tube disappeared into the ceiling, but I was pretty sure I knew where it lead to. I ran back to the room with the mushrooms and the patch of dirt, and sure enough, I saw a tube on the roof of the chamber. As I watched, the seed rolled along it, and towards the end. The seed stopped, as it ran into a pile of webs. I sliced through them, and the seed fell down into the bare patch of ground. It glowed green for an instant, then I saw it root itself. I took a step back, and drew a circle around it. Immediately a giant tree started to erupt from the center of the seed, growing taller and taller, branching out into thick green platforms of leaves. It rose to almost the roof of the cavern, before it finally slowed to a stop. "Someone had a lot of time on their hands to plan this out." Hiraku commented, as he looked up at the wide-spreading branches. In front of the tree appeared a small object, glowing into existence. I walked forward to pick it up, it was maybe the size of my head, it was small, and white and purple. It had markings of exorcism on it, for dispelling evil. I packed it away, and with the path now clear, I decided to go check out where the ledge led too. I padded towards the mushrooms, and Hiraku spoke.

"Hey Akime, I have a question for you." He said, seeing the apprehension on my face, and bouncing ahead of me several mushrooms, as I hopped up on the first one. "Yeah?" I said, looking to the next one and judging distance. "Do you have any phobias? I mean, what do gods really have to worry about?" He said, finishing bouncing up all the fungi to the top.

"Oh, more than you'd think," I said, crouching down, readying my muscles. "My mother worries about many things. She has the whole of Nippon to protect, plus the plains, and me and my brother. The gods worry about themselves, and those that rely on them. They fear the people losing faith, fear for the people's lives. I don't fear much, but that's part of who I am."

"So, you're never scared?" He asked, curious. "Hardly ever." I replied, jumping onto the next mushroom. I shuddered as I thought of one time when I had truly been petrified, but I shook it off. "Only once in my life, -a long time ago- was I ever truly scared. Terrified, frozen still. But it happened so many years ago, it doesn't really matter anymore. The only thing that can be done about it is to learn from my mistake."  
"Which was-?" Hiraku said, looking down from the ledge, and I smiled. "My mother often says- my greatest strength is my greatest weakness. I'm hardly scared of anything, and when I was young- there wasn't anything that could faze me." I jumped again, just barely landing it- with my back paws dangling off the edge of the giant fungus. '_I must have the worst depth perception of any wolf that's ever lived.'_ I thought to myself as I pulled myself up with my front paws. "I learned the hard way that there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and I learned what fear was that day...I think that experience helped me, but still, to this day I never give up when faced with a challenge, no matter how unbeatable it seems." I flicked my tail, and double-jumped to the next mushroom, a tiny one. "Stubborn genes, I guess. I feel fear the same as everyone- I can just push past it. Fear has its place, but most of the time, it's just a hinderance."

"Must be nice. Being always unafraid." Hiraku said, and I grinned. "Greatest weakness remember? It's not all a perfect gift."

"But how do you feel about spiders?" He said, looking at the giant webs above us. "I hardly think there's a being alive that isn't at least somewhat creeped out by spiders." I snorted. "Including the gods." He laughed, and I made the final jump to join him. "How'd you get so good at climbing, anyway?" I asked, and he grinned. "I'm a poncle, it's one of our special skills. Like you have the brush, and agility- but can't climb a tree worth two yen, I can." He smiled. "Now let's get going." He said, and bounced off into the branches.

I had been planning on another section of hard-to-stick jumps ahead, but surprisingly, the branches had aligned themselves almost perfectly into wood-bridges, from our side of the room, to the other- where there was the other ledge, and the tunnel. I hopped down, and ran across the branches, feeling the strong wood underneath of a healthy tree, and then flipped up onto the opposite ledge. This tunnel seemed even darker than the ones we'd entered previously, but it seemed to slope upwards, and I had hope this might take us to where we needed to go. I started forward, anxious to keep moving. Hiraku led the way deeper into the mossy tunnel, and I padded along behind him. In speaking of bravery, he's by far one of the bravest people I've ever met. He has a spirit like mine, and he may be even more courageous than me in some ways. We were similar in many ways, both artists, both had a decent sense of humor, both warriors; but we also differed, in perhaps the best ways. It was then I knew, that I'd chosen a good partner.

**(AN: No comment here, this is only basically part one of the chapter. To the next chapter!)**


	6. Chapter 5- Underground Ruins

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Underground Ruins**

_ 'Maybe these webs don't have to be such a hinderance...'_

I leaped from stone to stone, that were hanging high above the ground. Hiraku and I had made our way deeper and deeper into the ruins, and discovered a few tricks and secrets along the way. One such example- rocks that were trapped in the webs made excellent stepping-stones on which to cross over them and not get stuck. A cherry bomb near the ceiling, a slash, or a strong gust of wind was all that was needed to get them into place, then you could cross.

We'd been traveling for some time, when we came to a room that was full of webs, more than the typical room. I hopped off the last stone and entered slowly, a little wary, seeing only outlines in the shadows and a large statue that was bound by the sticky webs. I heard a creak, and my ears swiveled around. The creaking, groaning sound continued and I turned around. What I had thought was just a statue was actually a Dogu, and it was fighting its way free from its bindings. Hiraku and I leaped into action, he went ahead, slashing through the webs, and I followed, paws aimed directly at the Dogu's chest. I snarled, and we both landed on the animated statue, I started to hit it with my reflector, and Hiraku slashed away at its face. Within moments, the monster collapsed. I shook my fur, I was covered in webs now, and looked ridiculous. I walked forward, and saw that the exit to the room was closed, locked by a door similar to the one out front, except this time there was no key in sight.

"Well, great. Another dead end." Hiraku said very sarcastically. "Well, you know what this means." I said, looking down at him, and he sighed. "Time to go back for the usual rounds?"

"Well..." I said, remembering what appeared under the tree, and taking out the object that had appeared in front of the tree. "Not necessarily..."

"Is that a piece of holy scripture?" The poncle said, bouncing forward. "I think it is.." I said uncertainly, not having seen one before. The kanji marks on it would suggest it was sacred, and used to ward off evil. "These are used for dispelling curses!" He said excitedly. I looked at him, and he went on. "Remember that curse blocking the bottom of the Dogu statue? This could get rid of it!"

_'It would be nice to talk to another god. And this is Tsutagami's home, maybe he could have some advice for us.'_ I thought to myself. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I barked, and Hiraku bounced up onto my shoulders.

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I ruffled my fur. This whole area felt like it had been a lot of running back and forth doing various tasks- it was tiring, but I hoped we'd come to another breakthrough soon with Tsutagami. The small purple and white object floated and glowed in front of us, soaking up the webs and the curse, before vanishing into thin air. With the blocking curse gone, I crossed through the entrance into the bottom of the statue.

I was anxious to see if Tsutagami was ok, or if the evil beings were perhaps oppressing him, that being why they had blocked off the entrance. As I had feared- his chamber was in ruin. The plants were cursed and withered, and the area itself felt infected with evil. A barrier rose around us, and I looked around, ready to face whatever was stationed here to guard against well-doing intruders.

The monster stepped out of the shadows- it was an imp. Not one that I had yet encountered, nor one my mother had ever faced, but I thought I knew what it was. A Purple Imp. Resembling somewhat of a large Green Imp, instead with blue and purple clothes, and a different mark on its paper mask. If I was right, than its large wooden flute-sword would be laced with poison, unlike the Green Imps' weapon. According to legends, these imps were known as the second-most dangerous of all imps because of their poison and usage of curses, second only to Black Imps.

I squared off against the giant indigo-colored imp, reflector creating light and illuminating our shadows the walls with its bright fire. It cackled at me in an implike way, and broke apart its flute, so that a sharp silver blade showed. It tossed away the unneeded part, and hopped towards me, bouncing off its knuckles, sword facing me. I took hesitant steps, keeping the blade in my sight, but not bothering to slow time. I snarled and struck at it, but the imp parried my blow, and attempted a counter-attack, which I dodged in turn. I had to be careful with this demon. They are far more dangerous than they appear. It kept its blade raised this time, also keeping it trained on me as we circled. Hiraku stood on my nose, sword drawn, but I barely saw him, my gaze was focused on the enemy. I sliced at the imp with my brush, and while it blocked, I leaped forward and battered it with my weapon. It squawked and tried to hit me back, but I dodged and blocked, returning every blow. I used a cherry bomb to blow it off balance, and while it was trying to recover, I came down on it hard. Slashing and biting. I grabbed onto one of its long arms and kept a firm grip as I used my weapon, knowing it would be harder for the imp to attack me while I was close. It let out a loud shriek, and fell backwards to the floor. I hopped off, and watched as it sprung into flowers.

"What's up? You normally aren't that hesitant with monsters." Hiraku speculated as he picked up the yen. "The gods are not immune to poison." I stated, looking at the spot where the imp had vanished into the floor. I looked up, towards the shrine as the fountains returned. I bloomed the dead grass with my tail as I padded closer. _'Tsutagami?' _I thought, trying to contact him._ 'Tsutagami? Are you there? Give us a sign! Please!' _I said more frantically, thinking that perhaps he wasn't here, or wasn't listening. I looked back at Hiraku, unsure of what to tell him, or what to do. I saw his tiny eyes widen, and I looked back around. Two glowing spots appeared on the floor in front of the giant fountain. One was a bag with a green spiral on it, tied with a small string, and the other looked like it might be the key we required. _'Thank you!'_ I thought.

"Alright!" Hiraku said, snatching up the key and lifting it above his head. "Let's go back to that creepy Dogu room!" I laughed at his accurate description, and nodded in firm agreement.

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It was a quick, and rather uneventful run back up to the room with the Dogu, and when we reached it- I threw the key into place and the door opened. '_Thank you, Tsutagami!'_ I thought as we passed through the door, grateful for the god's gift. From there, it was a short walk to the edge of the tunnel we'd been seeking. I looked out over the giant main chamber, seeing the back of the giant Dogu statue. Above me, webs waved in a small breeze. There were no logs or stones to link them, but as I looked at them, I thought about the other gift Tsutagami had left for us, the bag.

"Well, now what do we do?" Hiraku wondered aloud as he looked out over the precipice. I grabbed the light tan bag out of my pouch, and opened it- seeing it was full of a multitude of tiny green seeds. Seeing as this was the last step to reach our goal, I threw some of the seeds out into the air, and watched as they scattered up into the webs. I used the brush, seeing the seeds as small green dots, and linked them to eachother.

I watched as the little seeds grew into vines, entwining together and looping down as they grew. They formed a vast bridge, leading from the ledge, over to the statue. I put a paw in one of the first loops as it dropped down in front of me. At first, I could feel it was unstable- but as vines grew and secured it, it became firm and steady beneath my paws. I crossed quickly, admiring the view from the vine-bridge, but soon I reached the edge, that hung several feet above the head of the Dogu. I looked down, the top was removed, hanging from the ceiling by the webs, leaving only a gaping black pit. I shared a determined glance with Hiraku, before diving down into the statue.

**(AN: Next chapter****…BOSS FIGHT! YEAH! To the next chapter!)**


	7. Chapter 6- Battle of the Spider Queen

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Battle of the Spider Queen**

I padded out of the passageway, and the room suddenly grew dark- almost no candles glowed in this chamber, unlike the one before it. Eery music seemed to thrum from the huge webs covering the walls. While my gaze was wandering, I tripped over something in the gloom- landing on the stone floor with a slam. I opened my eyes and came face-to-face a horrifying thing. I scrambled backwards, my mouth open in a silent gasp of horror. It was a skull.

Dark shadows seemed to come alive and crawled down the walls, I couldn't help myself as my heartrate grew faster. The slinking shadows herded me across the bridge and into the tunnel on the far side, then they withdrew as suddenly as they had come. Telling myself I had only imagined it, I stopped for an instant, then looked around to see where I was. The room was large and circular, and in the far corner, a large shadow lay resting in one of the webs- It looked like a withered flower. Gathering courage, I leaped down off the cliff and into the room gracefully.

"Sisters!" A shrill hissing voice called from the shadows. "Brothers!" I tried to locate the sound, it echoed from everywhere. I searched the room, then- there! Up on the ceiling! I crouched into a fighting stance. All at once, the shadows started to move, giant spiders crawled off the walls into a circle around us. I swallowed, there were so many of them...there must have been a hundred or more.

"Another canine meal has come into our midsts!" One spider dropped from the ceiling, then lifted its head, yellow hair parting. This spider had no eyes, her human-like hair was long, almost reaching the floor. She was 10 feet tall, maybe even taller. She had the face of a human -except for the fact she had no eyes, and two giant mandibles stuck out the side of her mouth. Her blue skin changed to red, yellow and green when it reached her back, which was huge and bulbous and shaped like a budding flower. She wore a wooden necklace with kanji carved into the beads, but the symbols were to small for me to read. "Another dog-snack has so foolishly come into our home!" She said, coming closer on her backward-facing hands. "Stand back, you arachnid scum!" Hiraku shouted bravely, his tiny voice echoing around the room- standing on the edge of my nose and waving his sword.

"Our dog friend has brought a side-dish! Oh- but he doesn't even make a mouthful!" The spider laughed a creaky laugh, filled with such evil the hair on my neck stood up. Hiraku glowed red with indignation, but the spider continued before he had time to retort. "I know you!" The spider with blonde hair clacked. "You are a god! One of those gods who killed our mother!" Her fellow spiders clacked their jaws from the wall in a threatening manner. "They, who stole from us the ancient right to do so ourselves! Ha! But now her daughter, -I- Maiko, shall avenge her! Akako! Jirou!" Maiko clacked from the center of the room. "Where are your manners? Come and greet our visitors." The great she-spider turned and walked slowly to the flower-throne on the far side of the room. Two other spiders landed behind me on either side. One was male, the other was female, like Maiko. The female had blood-soaked fangs and short black hair with red tips. She had painted markings splashed across her face, and her back was a crimson red. The male's back was a deep green, unlike his sisters', and he carried something on his back; it looked like a spider-web strung guitar, two of his backward-facing hands played it as we faced eachother- it was the same eery music as before, except now sped up into a battle-tune. "See that our guests are taken care of." Maiko said, turning around again so she could watch from her throne. Instantly I sunk deeper into a fighting crouch, and growled, daring the giant spiders to come nearer.

The female attacked first in a headlong charge, I dodged but one of her long clawed fingers grazed my side. We circled eachother, growling and chattering, then she lunged again. Using mist-warp I leaped over her head and attacked with my weapon, slicing into her back. She shrieked with pain but then turned around and grabbed at me. All the while her brother waited in the background, playing a fitting tune on his guitar. She retreated into the shadows, and I waited warily, her dark complexion made her impossible to see, but I knew she was waiting to strike...

_'There!'_

She came flying out of the darkness, but I spun on my paws and smacked her upside the head with my reflector, and the spider collapsed. The male suddenly grabbed his spiderweb-strung instrument and began to swing at me. I dodged, and he aimed blow after blow at me, but I managed to escape him each time. After he put the instrument on his back, I lunged- grabbing one of his legs and biting down hard, before dancing away. He shrieked and limped towards me, shooting webs; which were harder to evade- but I managed it; leaping over them and twisting in the air. When he paused, I made my attack, coming at him in a charge and battering him with my weapon. He yelled in rage again, but collapsed. Spiders on the walls chattered uncertainly, but their leader silenced them with a flick of her hands. "Hmm..." She said, coming closer on her backward limbs. "Tougher than I thought, but I won't make that mistake again. You may have slain my siblings, but now, I will kill you." I rolled my eyes, _'Why do monsters always have to be so obnoxiously sure of themselves?' _

"Come on then!" I growled, daring her to come nearer, spinning my weapon. The large spider paced around me, looking for an opening to strike, but I didn't let her find any weakness. Growing tired of it, the spider grabbed at me suddenly, but her hand crashed into a rock when I leapt away- which made her very angry. She let out a war cry, and swatted at me with four of her legs. I started to panic, and one of the hands hit me. I went flying with a shocked yelp. Though I only stayed on the ground for an instant, the giant arachnid grabbed me, and picked me up into the air. "Revenge...is mine!" The spider clacked, and opened her jaws wide, her rank breath nearly choked me. I growled, my tail was free- so I power-slashed her mouth. She screamed in pain and dropped me to the ground, where I quickly spun around and charged, while she held her hands over her mouth, crying out in pain. When she removed them, I saw one of her mandibles was missing, and her face was bleeding through a large gash. _'Good, she won't be able to talk now!'_ I thought to myself as I veered away, but she made her anger known as she hurled things at me. Dodging them was easy, but I feared I was running out of time, as her younger siblings started to slink down from the walls -apparently tired of waiting at the sidelines- lusting for blood themselves.

A sudden idea came to me, and I ran in for another attack, but this time- I wove between her legs, confusing her as she tried to stomp on me. Avoiding her was easier than I thought, and I tripped her up using my reflector. She came crashing to the ground, and I was on her in an instant. Using bloom, I opened her back, and to my disgust- saw eight horrible, giant eyes staring at me. Trying not to gag, I slashed at the first eye. Maiko screamed, but was unable to get up. Her back trembled. I whirled around the center of the eyes, striking in every direction, placing well-aimed blows to all of them. They retracted, and the spider let out a howl, blonde hair flying around her as she thrashed and collapsed, darkness flying from her body- back unfolding into a yellow lotus. The remainder of her body disappeared into the moss-covered floor, and the ground glowed.

A weapon appeared from where the giant spider had previously stood- from the center of the flower. It was Maiko's necklace, but it had transformed into a rosary made of fine wood- with ancient carvings on it. Grabbing the weapon, I turned on the other spiders, roaring at them. They all looked uncertain to fight the one who had killed their leader, but before I could attack, the cavern shook. I was jostled from foot to foot. "W-what's happening?!" Hiraku said, clinging onto my fur. "The statue's collapsing!" I gasped. "We have to get out of here!" The spiders had fled to the walls, seeking a way out, pushing and shoving each other to get through first, but I raced back the way I had come from, I leapt up the wall of the circular room and dashed out.

I crossed the stone bridge in the large cavern, rocks and chunks of ceiling falling all around me. Right after I got off the bridge, a huge rock crushed it in half. When I made it to the top of the Dogu's head, I looked around. There was no way down, and there was no time to look for one. Another great tremble came from the Dogu statue. watching the far-away ground, I realized, There was only one way to get down. I bunched up my legs and sprang from the statue. I fell level after level down the statue, spread-eagled, rocks crashing to earth around me. Doing a holy-eagle jump at the last moment I managed to land on one of the stepping-stones on all four feet. Leaping from rock to rock as fast as I could, I could hear vines and spiderwebs snapping behind me. As I reached the shore and looked around my shoulder, the huge Dogu statue collapsed as all the spiderwebs that held it up snapped. First the head fell, the remaining spiders all yelled and screamed as they fell into the water below. Then an arm detached, then the whole body shifted and fell into the water, snapping in half as it went. I flattened my ears. It was such a pity that was the price of ridding evil from the ruins, its most magnificent feature went down with it; like their fates were tied together.

I shook my coat, sending dirt and bits of rock flying. The Dogu's head was lying in the water, lying on its side._ 'There's nothing more to be done here.'_ I shook dust free from my ears. _'All that's left is to-'_

"Akime, look." Hiraku said, in a flat, somber tone. I turned to see what he was staring at. The gates, the stone doors of the entrance were blocked by layer upon layer of rock. When the earthquake that shook the statue happened, it must have loosened the rocks above the entrance, or made them crumble and break...One thing was sure- we'd have to find another way out.

**(Ermagerd BOSS FIIGGHHT! :D About time something happened, even if it is descendants against descendant. Yeah, Maiko's really similar to her Mom, in appearance and attack, but the monsters will get more original, I swear.**

**And here's an interesting tidbit for you- Maiko's name actually has meaning behind it. The original spider in okami was called the 'Geisha Spider'. And 'Maikos' are Geisha apprentices. ;) )**


	8. Chapter 7- Constellation

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Constellation**

I racked my brains to think of the path we'd taken to the top of Tsuta Ruins, trying to remember if there had been any side-passages we could try to get out. There was no chance of breaking through the rock; a cherry bomb might make more stone crumble and fall- and maybe crush us.

Thinking of what to do, I flicked my tail absentmindedly and checked in my bag for anything that could help. I saw the rosary and took out the new weapon I had earned after Maiko's defeat, and equipped it. I felt it as it moved over my neck, floating in a circle. I always favored rosaries in training over reflectors and glaives, I liked the distance they gave me, and the multiple attacks. They were powerful and beautiful weapons. The wood was sleek and I could feel the power thrumming within it. I could feel it had a name as well. 'the Beads of Victory'

I took a deep breath, enjoying the new weapon, before opening my eyes to face the problem at hand. It looked like we had to go back to the old plan, looking through the tunnels. There had to be some way out. A sudden thought of being trapped in here forever struck me, but I forced it back. _'We will _**_not _**_be stuck here forever! We won't starve. We'll make it out alive.'_ I chided myself, and most of my mind relented, except for one small part that fluttered around in the back like an annoying moth. I mentally tried to snap it away, and looked to Hiraku. He was climbing the mountain of rocks, checking to see if there were any weak spots where he could see through. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked?

He finally lifted his head to look at me. "Well, we definitely won't be able to make it out this way, Akime." I sighed and nodded my head. "I figured as much." I sighed defeatedly. "Looks like the only chance we have is to find another way out of here." He bounced back to me and hopped onto my head. "There were some tunnels we didn't explore to their limits.." I said. "That's our best bet." He agreed. I could hear a tenseness in his voice, that might be our _only _bet. I turned back towards the door, so our search could start.

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We went back to the areas we'd barely touched, to no avail. None of them led to the outside- We _were_ trapped. With every room we passed through, I could feel Hiraku getting more anxious and tense. '_This couldn't be the end of our journey- it's only barely started!'_ My head started to hurt from going through dusty rooms, but we kept on. _'He volunteered to help me, and I will get him out of here. No matter what it takes.' _I vowed to myself.

I walked past one of the last areas to check, my tail starting to drag on the ground, both from tiredness and growing worry. It was a small room, there were a few small trees and rocks littered throughout the tiny chamber, with a stone slab covered in moss in one corner and a couple carved statues on it. I walked closer, and blew a light wind over the stone, so the dust was swept away.

"Oh come on!" I heard Hiraku's exasperated voice from behind me, and I looked around. There was a large door on the far side of the cave, but it was so thick and heavy- I doubted either of us could budge it, or break it. I flicked my tail across the door, but powerslash simply bounced off. I frowned, but looked back to the stone- which I found resembled an altar.

Something drew me toward it, and I knew that there was some sort of power there. But what? I brushed away some moss with my tail, and I saw kanji symbols carved into the altar; it looked like many had worn away, but a couple were still readable like: 'heart'. As I wiped my tail over it, a few drops of ink fell to the surface and were absorbed. I stared for a moment in shock, and drew a mark on the stone. It soaked in again, but this time, it repaired one of the worn-away kanji symbols: 'bravery'. I put more and more ink on the altar, using rejuvenating power and more became distinguishable: 'divine', 'kindness', 'blood', and 'god'. My heart speeded up, and I looked over my shoulder to call Hiraku over. "What is this?" He said when he got to me, looking it up and down. "Is this some sort of shrine? To who?" I shook my head, I had no idea. The last bits of ink soaked back into the shrine, and suddenly, the small room was filled with a faint light. "What the?" Said Hiraku, and we both turned around. The ceiling of the mossy room was suddenly open, and stars gleamed brightly in the sky with a familiar light...too familiar.

"B-but, this is IMPOSSIBLE!" I barked, astounded. "There are only 15 brush gods! My mother and Chibi found them all!"

"And yet...There's one right here." Hiraku said, bouncing to the tip of my muzzle to get a closer look. Suddenly, he froze. "Umm...Akime...You know how Issun inspired the people to believe in the gods?" Despite my confusion, I nodded. "As the celestial envoy, all those years ago..using his skills- he created beautiful lifelike paintings of the gods." I waited as he took a deep breath to continue. "..But he didn't only make paintings of the real gods, but his own paintings. Of new gods. He envisioned other brush techniques...and painted them." I stared at him in growing disbelief. "One day, one of his paintings blew away in the wind- out of Kamui, away across the ocean, and... Someone found it. Before long the word of new paintings spread, believers they, -not knowing the difference- I think started to believe in them too; with the same ferocity that they believed in your mother. The painting was eventually brought back to Ponc'tan- but one night -months after- they were all stolen! Or so we'd thought..." He said, looking back at the stars. "But the truth is, I found the paintings, hidden in one of Issun's art rooms, stashed away so no one could find it. But the characters were missing, only the backgrounds remained. I think I get it now!" His eyes glimmered with excitement. "The faith sparked in the people brought these gods to life! I remember! This constellation, it looks like a deer! He HAD a deer-god painting I'm sure of it!"

"Hiraku," I said softly, like I was speaking to an overexcited child. "Think about what you're telling me, even if this is true, what would these gods even represent?" All of it was too overwhelming. '_Issun is responsible for these new gods? Why didn't mother know about this? And if she did, why didn't she tell me about them? What are their powers? What if they could be a danger to the people?'_

"Let's find out!" Hiraku answered my question simply, and I had no negative response. Beyond my denial about their existence, I really was curious to know myself. So, doing what my mother had done before me, I dotted the sky above in the places where the missing stars should be.

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The stars above me gleamed brightly, and the outline of the constellation cleared; it was the body of a leaping doe. Then the real body of a mighty deer sprang forth. It came racing down from the sky on a ray of white light. She was coming right towards me, but I stood my ground and crouched, -readying for an oncoming attack. However, the great white doe stopped only feet from me, dust stirring around her feet. She stood almost five feet tall, and she had light red markings streaked across her back, broken stripes and spirals taking the place of spots. She had markings across her eyes and a symbol on her head the same as the other brush gods. I looked around and noticed that all around us, strange yellow cloud had gathered, making the world outside hard to see. I sat down, still staring in wonder at the beautiful deer, then suddenly- she spoke. "Ah, Akimeterasu. Daughter of the marvelous sun god Amaterasu, mother to us all and savior of Nippon..." It said in a loud, calm, and echoing voice. The great white deer shook its head. It pawed the golden clouds with a wild, yet contained energy using her hoof and bowed her head. "I am the god Shugami. My brothers and I rose from the brush of the celestial envoy, Issun. Long have I wished to gaze upon another of my kind, and lo, before me stands the princess of the gods!" The doe raised its head to meet my gaze, her eyes were as black and deep as the night sky, and as gentle as the heavens. I flushed, being called a princess by anyone made me feel uncomfortable, especially another god. As daughter of Amaterasu, I was the princess of the gods, but I felt no more powerful or worthy of respect than any of them.

"I have watched you from the sky as you have journeyed through the ruins, your courage and kindness have impressed me, and your mercy at restoring my shrine has granted you my alliance. My blood is divine ink, use it, and enhance your powers. Like the wolf becomes stronger, strengthened by deer's blood. Any technique you wield will become stronger with me at your side." Shugami dipped her head, and suddenly shrunk with a blinding ray of light. The doe became an orb that somewhat resembled praise, marked with a symbol in ink. It circled once around me, then dove into my chest. I felt a rush of power, and white rays floated around me for an instant, before the golden clouds faded, and suddenly we were back in the cavern.

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Back in the world of reality, -and having just received a new power- I was oddly...Disappointed. "Is this it?" I wondered aloud. "Are all these new gods just power-ups of old ones?" I inquired with a raised brow to the poncle. "No, I don't think so." Hiraku argued. "Issun- he made some gods with their own powers. Some of them specialized in uniting the brush's power, but some were completely unique! Shugami is the god of blood, heart and courage- if I remember correctly. One of...I think 6 or so."

"Or so?" I said, and he shrugged. "He made all kinds, gods of the heart, the mind, earth, some sort of ocean god...I don't remember all of them. To me they were just paintings. Only now do I know what their real secret is." He said in a quiet tone.

"And now we can add this to our list of missions Akime!" He added brightly. "Look for the new brushgods!" I gave him a smile, even though inside, I felt distressed. _'I'm not too impressed so far.'_ I thought to myself. "God of blood...What would that do anyway?" I wondered aloud. "I dunno." Hiraku said, then jumped up. "Didn't she say she was ink? That she'll enhance your powers? Hey, you can try it out now! Maybe it'll help us get out of here!"

"But I don't even know what I need to draw!" I protested. "Come on Akime!" Hiraku said, begging. "Just try something on...that rock over there!" He said, pointing to a stone. "Oh, alright." I said, and rolled my eyes._ 'He underestimates my powers, even without this 'new god' I would be able to cut it in half.' _I thought to myself, but nonetheless I decided to humor him. I readied my stance, took a breath to steady myself, and made a nice clean slash across the face of the stone with my brush.

"WHOA!" Hiraku yelled in astonishment and excitement, and I stood stunned at the damage I had just done. Not only had I sliced the rock in half, but the small trees behind it, and another rock, and the door! "This is awesome! Ha- This, may be the hardest technique you ever have to master!" He whooped, looking delighted at my new powers. And I silently agreed, nodding my head. _'That doe, Shugami did give me an extraordinary power, I have to use my brush warily now, to make sure I don't do more than I wish.'_

"The door's unsealed!" Hiraku continued happily. "Come on, let's go!"

**(AN- Oooh, new god! :D Akime wasn't that impressed at first, but with this power from a new god, who knows what old powers might gain new capabilities? And yes, this doesn't fit in with the zodiac, but at least I put time and effort into creating my gods. I labored over creating elements that coincided with the creatures of okami, little did I know at the time- Okamiden just added penguins. Really? Penguins? XD I don't think that ancient japanese people even knew about them, but whatever. I spent time pouring over new gods, and the official creators of the sequel spontaneously come up with penguins :/. Ah well.**

**I'm surprised I got this one out so fast! The next chapter will definitely take a long time [sorry!], and we're going to be entering into a new segment of the story, a new mission, and new characters. Well, I hope you're enjoying the story, and as always- ON TO THE NEXT CHAP-A-TER!)**


	9. Chapter 8- Kusanagi Village

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Kusanagi Village**

The door that I slashed open led into a strange dark corridor that ended in a room with a marking carved into the floor that much resembled a cherry bomb. I traced it, and the newly-created bomb sank into the floor. Then, -after a dulled 'boom'- the floor started to move upwards at a steady pace. I looked up, and for a second worried about running into the oncoming ceiling, but a panel slid away and we were blinded by sudden, but beautiful sunlight.

I blinked a few times to get used to the bright light, and saw that the little platform had taken us to the top of the giant trunk that overlooked Hitoshio Spring; a small natural spring fed by the empty stump of what was once a giant tree. Water flowed from the hollow branches and out of the base of the tree, into the pool. The pond had no offshoots, but the water in it never got stagnant, because of the Mermaid Spring swirling within it. We'd been in those dark, dank ruins for so long, I felt like I was coming back to life as I breathed in the fresh forest air.

I leaped down from the top of the trunk, and walked along the water's edge, then I bent down to drink from it. The sweet, sacred spring water tasted clear and refreshing on my tongue as I lapped at it. A few deer approached on the far side of the bank and dipped their heads down as well. I remembered in mother's tales that Kushi uses water from this spring to make 8 Purification Sake. After tasting it, I wasn't surprised she would make such a journey for this water. Hiraku crouched beside me, taking off his hat to use as it a giant bowl, and drinking as well. I lifted my head and looked around, water dripping from my muzzle. I felt revitalized, and ready to keep going. "Where to now?" The poncle said, looking at me, and I tilted my head to think._ 'With Tsuta Ruins freed from evil, we're left with a very vague goal of finding the rest of the new Gods. So much evil still remains in Nippon..Spread throughout the land, so we can go almost anywhere.'_

"Well.." I said, padding away from the spring, when suddenly something large appeared out of the grass in front of us. "WOAH!" Hiraku and I both shouted, and I fell backwards in surprise. A black spot rose from the ground, rising into the form of a creature with no discernible form; only a shapeless dark spot with white eyes that stared around, taking in the forest. It looked at us and appeared to laugh, shadowy wings taking form. Spirals came off them as it lifted off and sped away across the sky, fading away into the distance. "What the heck?" Hiraku said, staring after it. "What was that thing? " I could only shake my head- mystified. I had no idea what it was. I'd never heard of anything like it in the Bestiary, although it was certainly a demon. It gave off no life-energy, and it pulsed of evil. Yet, it was almost familiar..

I looked around again, and saw a pair of small bright eyes staring at me from out of a bush. My fur bristled in nervousness and I walked closer, they weren't the blank eyes of the shadow-monster, but dark, almost black. They blinked and disappeared, back into the bush. Brows furrowing, I said: "That's strange." "Yeah.." Hiraku said, bouncing off my head and towards the bush to check it. "Something was watching us." I walked closer as well, but whatever had been hiding in the leaves was gone now. "What were you saying before Akime?" He turned back towards me, and I remembered where I was going to suggest we go.

༄༄༄༄༄༄

A strong breeze ruffled my fur as I rounded the corner of the cliff. In front of us stood Kusa Village, and I wagged my tail. I'd always wanted to see the famous windmill of Kusa Village: the Gale Shrine. It towered above the village, and waved peacefully in the powerful wind. I frowned, and tilted my head. In such a gale, I thought it would have been turning. However, the village in front of me was bright and full of life. Flowers blooming, a few women talking around the well, a farmer happily tending to his squash, it was a very nice, relaxed area- free of monsters. Even if the windmill wasn't turning, the village was still blessed by Kazegami.

I looked up the path, and blinked in surprise. A dog, fluffy and pale pink in color, was staring at me. It had a muzzle that was white with age, and was wearing something that resembled a cape on its back, and it had the same dark eyes as the creature that had been watching us in the forest. Then, after a few more seconds, it turned around and started back up the hill. "Hey, wait!" I barked, and ran after it. I charged up the path to the right out of the village square, farther ahead there was a long bridge. Even farther along was a structure that looked like it had a view of all Taka pass. I dashed around the corner, looking for the pale pink dog, and saw it out of the corner of my eye, this time it was standing on the bridge- still watching me. But it, -no- she was waving her tail in a beckoning motion at us.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that dog wants us to follow her Akime." Hiraku said, bouncing on my nose and blocking some of my view. "I'm getting the same feeling..." I told him in response. I didn't know who the dog was, but I had a hunch that this was one of the eight legendary canine warriors. The cloth, the orb under her neck, I was almost positive. So I continued to follow the strange dog through the village, and just when I thought she was out of sight, she'd appear again.

She led us past what I assumed to be the Satomi house, and went right under a gate with purple fire on top. We wound our way through a passage between two high cliffs until it opened up, and to the left I saw a gaping hole in the mountain. We continued until we were outside of the cave I knew had to be the Gale Shrine, and she tilted her head towards the mouth of the cave then entered herself. I padded forward hesitantly, the cavern seemed to be near pitch-black. I trotted into the cave, my claws clicking over stone. I couldn't see the pink dog anymore, so I started to run. It was damp inside the cave, and I ran through several puddles. It surprisingly wasn't very dark inside, I could see fairly well. I came to a room full of stalactites, and ran through an open gate to the left. I then found myself in a large open area with a giant pool in it.

I caught a glimpse of her tail disappearing down a passageway to the right, so I ran after her. Running through the winding stone tunnel, until it widened into a large circular dead-end. Then I saw she wasn't alone, six other dogs sat around her in a semicircle, a glowing orange orb in the center of them, apparently waiting for something; and a thought flashed into my mind: _'Me.' _

They all looked toward us, many had serious expressions on their faces, and some of them were faded-out, like they weren't really there, but the pink dog smiled. "Chi, is this the one?" Barked one of the other dogs, and the pink dog nodded. "Are you Akimeterasu?" The same dog said, and looked towards Hiraku and I. I dipped my head, and out of the corner of my eye- saw the other dogs exchange glances.

"We heard rumors that a god had come to Nippon." Said another dog, and chuckled at our confused expressions. "News travels fast here, especially among bored village women." A white-green pointer coughed, and the others turned their attention to him. "We are glad that Chi managed to find you so quickly Akimeterasu, because we have all been summoned here from our different homes-" The old dog wheezed and another had to finish for him. "-to answer a call that cannot be dismissed." Said a smaller brown dog, who looked young compared to all the other warriors. I recognized him from my mother's descriptions. "You're Hayabusa! But weren't you in Kamiki Village?" I exclaimed, remembering the brown dog that had bowled the teenaged boy over. "Yes," the dog said, flattening his ears, "I am in Kamiki Village, but in spirit, I am connected to my fellows, allowing me to speak here. Due to my duties in Kamiki, I have not ever been to meet the other warriors in person-"

"That's enough," One dog growled, the pointer-like dog with green spots. "It's true that Hayabusa has never been to the Gale Shrine, because the true Hayabusa chose him as her successor.." The dog continued, glaring at the brown Hayabusa, making him shrink away. "But he understands the meaning of Loyalty, so he has earned his spot in our ranks." The brown dog perked his ears and smiled. "After all, he will be joining us here very soon." The pointer said, and another warrior spoke up. "All the warriors must answer the call!"

"Let's get back to the problem at hand." One fluffy, fat brown-and-white warrior barked. "Don't you mean 'paw'?" Hiraku asked, and the brown and white dog gave him a disapproving glance. "We are growing old, and soon there will be no warriors to guard the village, to spread word of the Gods, nor to protect Nippon!" A boxer growled angrily from his side of the circle in a deep voice. "That is why you are here, Akimeterasu," The dog who led me here spoke in a higher-pitched bark. "We are weak and cannot go on long journeys anymore. We need new warriors, that you can bring here for us to train." "New warriors?" We both exclaimed. "You're saying you want US to go and seek out mutts for you to train." Hiraku said. "That is correct," The white and green dog spoke again. "We thought, who other than a god could make the right choice?" The other warriors nodded, then he smiled. "Besides ourselves."

"What about princess Fuse? Couldn't she help?" I asked. "She understands the severity of this problem, but we have requested her to leave this problem to the dogs." The green one barked, smiling. "Her duties as village leader are, as of now, too overwhelming for her to take leave and search for new warriors." The dog looked to me. "So we must ask you, Akimeterasu; will you help us? Surely you can choose the dogs with the right qualities." I paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "I will. I shall try my hardest to find eligible dogs." _'What's the harm in helping these dogs? My mother had told me about them, and 'though they were very bossy, and slightly obnoxious, they were great warriors'.' _I thought to myself, remembering her description of them. Hiraku leaped off my head, into the center of the circle. "Ok, but what's in it for us?" He questioned. Seeing the shock on their faces, I quickly set my paw down on his head to make him be quiet.

"We will wait here at the shrine." A wolf-like dog with the faded appearance of not really being there spoke in a raspy voice. "Bring the new warriors here at the next full moon."

"And before you leave, let us give you something you will need on your journey." A darker pink dog said, and the female warrior continued after him: "Since you are to find the new warriors, these will help you choose the right ones. It only makes sense to bring them with you to meet their new masters: Honor, Justice, Loyalty, Faith, Brotherhood, Duty, Wisdom, and Knowledge." Chi said, and a glowing orb emerged from each of the dogs, -all a different color- to join the one in the center, and then circled around me, before diving into my chest. I felt empowered, like my veins were alive with energy. "Use these eight virtues to choose the new warriors." She said. "The new dogs need to understand and live these virtues before they could ever possibly become Satomi warriors." All the elder warriors dipped their heads, like one being, and then as if on cue they broke apart; the traveling three vanished to return to their bodies, and the other four went to sides of the cave to sit, or chew something, or talk.

I lifted my paw off Hiraku and he was glowing red with anger, but he didn't say anything. The pink dog raised her head from chewing a bone and looked at me. "I wish you well on your journey." Chi said. "Remember, the dogs must show these attributes for them to be worthy, you will know when you see it." She smiled. "Yeah, yeah." Grumbled Hiraku. I wondered how these dogs knew we were coming, not even gossip could have spread this fast. Perhaps Kazegami- their patron god, had sent them a omen or a message in a dream. I rose to my paws, bowed my head respectfully then trotted back down the tunnel.

"Why are you so intent on impressing those guys?" Hiraku suddenly said, staring me in the eyes. "They're just a bunch of old, spoiled-."

"They're our elders, and they need our help. Why shouldn't we offer it?" I stopped, staring back at him. He stayed quiet and I smiled. _'I've already seen first-hand his arrogant nature, and I'm not surprised he doesn't respect those older than him. It no doubt has gotten him into a lot, if not almost constant, trouble before.' _I trotted out of the cave and into the tunnel, following the narrow passage back to the light of Kusa Village.

**(AN- Thank you everyone for the reviews, it makes me happy to see other people happy. C: Please, keep it up, and if you have any critiques, don't hold back; I want to improve.**

**New mission! Akime has to find new canine warriors, ones that are tough, strong, brave, and virtuous! That may be even harder than it sounds...**

**I think the Satomi orbs would have returned to their owners once Ammy was done with them, so that's why they have them, but the Canine Tracker stayed with Ammy. **

**Now some answers to reviews- Chibi appears indirectly in the story, being mentioned here and there, while Ammy appears in person (and will again in dreams). I don't have him currently planned to make an actual appearance in TDO, but I did have a spot where I was maybe going to introduce him before... And I could change my mind later on. Akime feels admiration towards Chibi, and they rarely fight. When they were little, she used to turn to him for help. For being a little wolf, Chibi is awfully mature (in-game and out). Calm-headed, experienced, compassionate, while Akime is more fiery, more rash, playful, and quicker to judge. She's calmed down since she was a pup, but she will act as soon as she's made a decision, while Chibi will wait and try to think of a better alternative. They have a very loving brother-sister relationship. This is skipped over a lot in TDO, because Chibi was away so much in their puphood. **

**As for the 'love', who's to say it's not both man and wolf? ;) The Gods have the capacity to turn human if they wished, but many prefer to stay in their original forms (like Akime- she's going to stay in wolf form for the course of the story). That's all for now, thanks again for the reviews!)**


	10. Chapter 9- Kamiki Village

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Kamiki Village**

I walked down the path from Konahana, satisfied. We'd traveled back to Kamiki in hopes that Sakuya could be of some assistance- and the wood sprite had given me some advice for finding some suitable dogs. She'd even marked where they should be on my map! I checked it as I padded along. "Hey!" I said, and Hiraku started with a disgruntled "Hrph!?" at my bark, as he'd been taking a nap during my conversation with Sakuya.

"The first suitable dog is right here in the village!" I barked in excitement, as we passed the green trees standing near the mountain trail. "Yeah, ok." He said, yawning and stretching his limbs. "Let's go find him then." I looked up at him suspiciously. "It doesn't have to be a boy you know. Think about Chi!" I referred to the pink warrior who had led us to the cave with the other warriors. "Yeah, whatever. But considering that she's one out of eight, I consider the possibility of this dog being a girl is close to ze-" He didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, because as I passed under the red gateway we both saw a dog standing in our way; well, not exactly standing in our way, more caught in our path.

"Oh!" The dog said, in a high, soft bark, and dropped the meat feed-bag that she'd been carrying. She, yes she, reminded me of Hayabusa, because she looked to be the same breed; but far skinnier, and with slightly floppier ears. She had a gray pelt, pale-cream paws and a curly tail, with dark gray stripes on her flanks. "H-here, you can have it!" She said, crouching down, lowering her blue gaze and starting to back away.

"Calm down, it's ok." I said, speaking in wolf; and I lowered my head as well. "We don't want your food."

"Y-you don't?" She said with a stammer, and straightened up a little, still looking nervous. "No. What's your name?" I asked the dog. "M-My name? It's, Noriko..." She barked quietly. "Come again?" Hiraku said. "I said my name is, Noriko." She repeated, slightly louder this time. "Where do you live?" Hiraku asked, looking around. "Oh, I don't have a home." She said, very quietly again, so we could barely hear her. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Hiraku asked. "No, how could a c-cat grab my tongue and make me be quiet? Its claws would probably make me y-yelp in pain!" She said, tilting her head. Hiraku looked at her in momentary disbelief, then said in a smart-alecky tone: "Well, what if said cat wasn't using its claws, just its paws?"

"Considering if a cat could maintain a grasp on my tongue using just it's n-non-opposable paws, wouldn't you be able to see it sticking out of my mouth anyway, so it wouldn't be a question, but more of a statement?" She tilted her head to the other side, probably wondering if he was sane. I giggled, and Hiraku turned red in frustration. "No! Yes? Ugh! It's just a metaphor!" Hiraku shouted angrily, then looked down at me. "Can you believe this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said softly, looking down.

It looked like Hiraku was just about ready to scream 'FOR WHAT?' at the poor stray so I shook him off his perch on my head. "I have to apologize for Hiraku", I said. "He's not usually this hot-tempered." Which was a lie. "It's fine." she said, dipping her head. "I'm used to being yelled at." This time I tilted my head. "People chase me away from their houses so I don't try to steal their food."

"That's too bad." Hiraku said, crossing his arms and looking at the dog. "If you don't have a home, where do you sleep? Where do you eat?"

"Up there." She gestured to the hills above Kamiki, near the waterfall. "I eat whenever I can find food, in no place in particular."

"So you don't have anyone who cares for you?" Hiraku asked. "No, I've lived on my own since I was a pup, when my old masters kicked me out." As I got an even better look at her, I saw she was very visibly thin, -her ribs showing clearly through her coat- and her pelt was in rather poor condition; but still, her bright blue eyes shone with intelligence and curiosity.

"You have to be one of the unluckiest dogs I've ever met!" Hiraku exclaimed, bouncing back onto my head, and my heart went out to the poor stray dog. _'Could she possibly be one of the dogs I'm looking for..? She seems fairly wise..' _As I thought, I heard her stomach growl, and I decided to let her eat her meal in peace. "We'll see you around the village then, Noriko." I said, and dipped my head. "It was a pleasure to meet you." She dipped her head in response. "It was a pleasure to meet you both as well." I watched as she picked up the feed-bag and trotted off towards the waterfall. I lifted my tail in farewell, then turned around.

"Hey! Look over there!" Hiraku leaned over my brow and pointed forwards. I followed his finger, and saw another stray dog. This dog had long legs and tail, his body was black, except for his belly, chest, paws, and face -which were white. He had a white muzzle, and a stripe going up the middle of his head as well. When he turned, I saw he had green eyes. I smiled. "Hello there!" I said, wagging my tail and walking up to him. "How-"

"You!" The dog barked in a highish voice that made me stop in my tracks. "Wild creature! Get away!" He reared up on his hind legs and batted the air. "Horrible wolf! Be gone!"

Unfortunately for him, his dramatic act unbalanced him- and he stumbled backwards, then fell- directly into a mud patch.

"DIRT!" He screamed. "MY BEAUTIFUL COAT! I JUST FINISHED GROOMING!" Then he froze, and glared up at me. "This is all YOUR fault! WOLF!" He spat out the last word as if it was acidic, his green eyes burning.

"Excuse me? My fault!?" My hackles raised. "Who do you think you are?" Hiraku asked, with the same acid in his voice.

"How **dare** you talk back to ME in such a way!" The dog sniffed, pointing his sleek muzzle upwards as if I smelled horribly. "I am a PUREBRED DOG, born and raised in a **civilized **society!" He sniffed again. "Unlike this **mudhole** you country dogs live in! And unlike **you **I have a sense of honor and responsibility for myself!" He said, raising his muzzle in the air as if the village smelled of rotting fish. I was quickly growing agitated with him. "Look, we really should be on our way now, so if you could just..." I side-stepped him. "Move aside! Thanks!...Jerk." I whispered the last word so he couldn't hear, and trotted away with my tail held high. Behind me, his face grew panicked.

"WAIT!" He barked in his high-pitched tone, making me stop and sigh. "Well, you see..." He said. "Yes?" I asked in a sweet, falsely interested tone as I turned to face him. "Ahem, what I meant to say is that I need a guard." He barked, picking up his bossy tone and position with ease. "Would you, vicious, savage, wild wolf- be my protector until my owners come to pick me up?"

I sighed again. "How long until you're going to be 'picked up'?"

"Well, they didn't give me a date of course, but it's been a few months now, -maybe closer to a year- so it should be any day!" He barked, and I shook my head. This dog had no idea he'd been dumped; surely NO owner could bear him.

"Fine, if ever you get yourself into a dire situation, I'll defend you." I said, which was more than I felt like promising at the time, but I did it nonetheless- he was just a dog after all, even if he was annoying. "Good!" The dog sniffed, with no trace of gratitude in his voice at all. "Now if I ever need you, I'll be sure to call on you...what was it?"

"Akimeterasu." I growled, and he nodded. "Fine then, Akimeterasu. You can expect a summoning from me soon!" He thrust his muzzle into the air again, and my fur bristled, I was not at his beck and call! "I won't be waiting for it. Goodbye, Daiko." I said, with no small amount of bitterness in my voice and a swish of my tail, dismissing myself before he could try it.

As I turned away from the black-and-white dog and started to make my way up the hill, I still kept my eyes on him- making sure he didn't go anywhere. When I finally turned my head to look where I was going, I found myself face to face with yet another dog.

"Hi!" She said brightly. "Oh great, not another one..." Said Hiraku. "My name's Shisa! Don't mind him, he's just a bit upset that his owners haven't come to pick him up yet. Is this your first time here in the village?" She said, words tumbling over each other, and tail wagging. She was a very fluffy, yellow dog; so fluffy she would easily trump both Ko and Chi in a contest. Her eyes were bright green and full of light and spirit, very different from than Daiko's disapproving and spiteful emerald gaze. "I'm Akimeterasu, and no, this is my second." I said, smiling. "My masters are traveling through here, and we've been here a few days now, I must have missed you the first time. I normally don't miss things, I'm very attentive. At least my owners say so, they say I have ears like Tachigami!" She said, tail still wagging very hard. "And- wait..." She said, dropping off. Her tail stopped drumming, and her eyes widened to their fullest extent. "Akimeterasu? Like Akimeterasu- a god Akimeterasu!?"

"Uh...Yeah." I said, ears flattening because of her strange reaction.  
"WOW! I never thought I'd meet a real GOD! I'm so honored!" She suddenly exploded, tail wagging harder than ever and she jumped into the air, bouncing around like an excited puppy. "Uh, thanks?" I said. "I've heard so many tales, and I never even thought this was possible!" She barked. "Do you have a place to stay?" Said the yellow dog, and I shook my head. "You have to come stay with me for the night! I'm sure my masters won't mind!" The fluffy dog barked, and practically herded me towards a house. "I-I-!" I started to protest, and she looked at me with large, shining eyes. "Please?" She whined in a pitiful tone. The sun was setting in the distance, and I looked at Shisa, who was staring at me with eyes the size of ink bottles, and I smiled. "Ok."

"YAY!" She yipped, and bounced around me. "She is one excitable dog..." Hiraku said, and I nodded. "Calm down, you silly fluffbrain." He said, and Shisa turned to look at us, still bouncing up and down. "Shisa?" We heard a voice, and turned around, where an old man was standing in the entranceway. The young dog barked, and ran up to him. "What's this? You've brought a friend?" He said, smiling. "Well, this isn't an ordinary wolf is it? We're not ones to turn away anyone in need, come in, young god." I blinked in surprise._ 'He can see me?'_ I thought to myself. _'Only those with great faith are able to see the gods these days.'_

He slid the door shut behind us, and sat down on a mat in front of a table. An old woman was preparing dinner, and looked over her shoulder as we entered. "Oh! Nobuo Dear, what's this? We have guests for dinner? Come, come in, sit!" She bustled, and gestured to the mats. The old man looked at Hiraku and I, as we sat down.

"Are you truly a god?" He said, looking at me, and I nodded. "Her name is Akimeterasu, and I'm Hiraku." The poncle said. "You must be her emissary, then." He said in a quiet tone, looking at the poncle. "A celestial companion."

My eyes wandered, and I noticed a particularly decorated alter on the right wall. Though this was not their house, they had certainly taken to making it a wonderful prayer-place. There were thick evergreen branches within a vase, an amulet (an Ofuda), several tablets with symbols on them, and a straw-rope hanging above it. "You are surely a god on a quest." The old man said, and I nodded. "We're searching for dogs that could become Canine Warriors." I barked, and Hiraku relayed it.

"My wife, Kameyo, and I are honored to open our home to you." He said, and bowed his head to us. He seemed very open, and kind, yet there was a sternness lurking underneath, one who didn't take nonsense. _'Sincerity is a great value to those who follow the Shinto religion.'_ I thought to myself. "Canine warriors?" Shisa barked, looking at me. "What's that?"

"The guardians of Kusa Village, and the Gale shrine. Each of them are keepers of a different virtue. There's Wisdom, Knowledge, Honor, Brotherhood, Duty, Justice, Loyalty, and Faith."

"Cool! I'm named after lion-dog creatures, that are known for protecting things!" Shisa barked happily. "Because of my fur." She added sheepishly, then wagged her tail again. "The legend goes that when an emissary returned from a voyage to the court, he brought a gift for the king, a necklace decorated with a figurine of a shisa-dog. The king found it charming and wore it underneath his clothes. But at the port near the city, the village of Madanbashi was often terrorized by a sea dragon- who ate the villagers.

One day, when the king was visiting the village, one of these attacks happened; and all the people ran and hid, but he faced the monster with the figurine held high, and immediately a giant roar sounded all through the village, a roar so deep and powerful that it even shook the dragon. A massive boulder fell from the cliffs, sent from heaven and crushed the dragon's tail. He was trapped, and couldn't move, and eventually died. This boulder and the dragon's body became covered with plants and surrounded by trees, and can still be seen today." She finished.

The old woman brought over bowls of rice to the table, and set one down in front of Nobuo, and Hiraku, then she went over to the alter, and placed the last bowl on it, and mixed in a cup of water, and some salt. She said in a calm, sure voice: "We are grateful for the gifts of life, and pledge to do your utmost." Then she bowed twice, clapped twice, and bowed once again to the shrine. Then, she returned to the kitchen, where some beef was still cooking. This couple was devoutly religious, offering shinsen to the gods. No doubt my mother and the other gods would enjoy the rice, up on the plains.

Hiraku split two splinters off the chopsticks and used them to grab up his rice. Then, Kameyo grabbed something off the fire, and I smelled the delightful scent of cooked meat. "You can have this, Akimeterasu. I was going to offer it to the gods anyhow." The hunk of meat hurtled towards me, flying out of her hands and into the air in slow motion with a slight spin in front of my eyes, and I grabbed the meat out of the air. The meaty taste met my tongue, to my immediate delight. My mouth started to water and my tail wagged._ 'Ahh... Delicious hibachi, one of my favorite foods...' _ Dropping my head, I started to gnaw on the tender meat, in a wolfish way, and the couple started talking again from their place at the table.

Shisa gnawed happily at a bone nearby, in a corner closer to the fire. "Do you know any legends, Akime?" Shisa barked, from her place across from me, and I tilted my head. "Or stories, ones about the gods?" She rested her head on her paws expectantly, looking at me. "I'm just wondering, because my people always used to tell stories to their grandchildren after dinner. And seeing as you're a god, maybe you'd know a good one." I heard the excitement in her voice, from the prospect of hearing a legend from a real mythical being, and racked my mind for stories- one came up immediately. It was one about my mother, and I smiled. "Well, I do have one. It's about a man who wished to marry the sun." Hiraku turned to look at me, perched on his bowl of rice, and Shisa scooted closer. The fire crackled, and I began my story:

"A long time ago, before Orochi, and the legend of Nagi, there lived a handsome young man, the strongest and wealthiest person in his village- and everyone revered him. But he could not be truly happy, because he was missing something in his life that could not be captured nor bought- love. And he would not just marry any maiden, he wanted only the finest bride in all of Nippon, and he knew there was no bride finer than the sun herself- Amaterasu. The most powerful thing in existence; he admired her brilliance, and her dedication to appear in the sky every day. He would wed only she.

So one day, in the height of midsummer- he went to confess his love to the sun. "Oh Amaterasu," He cried from the highest point in his village: "My dearest sun, please show yourself to me, so that I may prove my love to you. I beg you, you are the most beautiful thing in the world, will you marry me?"

Amaterasu was amused by the mortal's request, but of course she could not accept. She was clever, and knew she had a lesson to teach the young man, so she decided to go speak to him. She appeared before him in a blaze of light, so he had to shield his eyes, and he was at first...taken aback by her form. "Oh, you are a wolf? But no matter, I will love you for who you are!" He exclaimed, and bowed before her. Amaterasu sighed. "Rise, young man. I know your feelings, and I know you only wish to marry me because you think I'm the most powerful thing in the world. But what if I told you I am not?" He scoffed. "I wouldn't believe you! You make crops grow, you bring light and warmth to the world, and chase away darkness!"  
"But when clouds cover me, my light is dimmed!" She countered. "They are more powerful than I."  
"Well, yes...but can you not create wind- to blow the clouds away? However hard they may try to cover the sky, you can send them away with a single gale!" He countered.  
"Yes, this is true.." Amaterasu replied, flicking her ears. "But there is something that can keep the wind at bay, and protect people from it." He looked taken aback again, and she continued. "It is walls."

"Walls?" He exclaimed, and she nodded. "Yes, and who create walls, and other strong buildings? It is none other than people. When a tree falls, it falls for good. Even when blown down, another building will be built in its place. Human resilience beats all odds. You, in your own way, are just as powerful as the gods." He saw the truth in her words, and thanked her. Then he headed back down to the village- and she ascended back to her home. He was soon married to a young maiden that had loved him for many years, and they lived a long happy life together, and he was content; happy with the lesson Amaterasu had taught him."

I finished, looking at my audience. Shisa appeared enraptured, and when the story ended, she started wagging her tail. Stories seemed to be the only thing that calmed her down. My mother used to tell me legends all the time when I was a pup, and she used to tell it perfectly- since she was really there. I hoped I did her justice.

"Wow, that was a good legend!" Shisa barked, smiling. "I don't think I've ever heard that one before!" Hiraku seemed to like it too, and he was looking at me with a face of approval. "So, your Mom is quite a casanova huh?" He said with a quirked smile. "She has more suitors than you'd think." I said with a returning grin.

Shisa looked aghast. "How could you speak of the gods in such a manner?" She said, and I giggled. "It's ok, Shisa. Even the gods have to laugh sometimes." I laid my head on my paws, feeling the warm glow of the fire. "Ok.." She said, even though she still looked a bit shaken, and she smiled. _'She certainly is friendly, and kind. Her masters have passed on to her a vivid belief, something powerful, and rare.' _I thought, as I blinked a few times, my eyes slowly closing.

_'I think I might have found the Canine Warrior of Faith.'_

**(AN- OHMYGODSLONGCHAPTER. But we meet new characters, yay! :D 3 dogs down...at least 5 to go...  
The story of the man who wished to marry the sun is based off a real Japanese legend, but I changed it around a bit for the sake of the story. ;)**

**It's so weird how I came up with these dogs before I ever watched My Little Pony, and yet some of them seem so similar to some of the characters from the show...(Daiko to Rarity, Noriko to Fluttershy, and Shisa to Pinkie..) o.0 weird...**

**For those who may be interested: Daiko's a Saluki, Noriko's a Kai-ken, and Shisa's a Japanese Spitz hybrid.)**


	11. Chapter 10- Hanasaki Valley

**CHAPTER TEN**

**Hanasaki Valley**

_'Focus...focus.'_ I was bent down to the grass, level with it, moving my tail slowly and deliberately. _'Slowly...careful...' _I told myself. _'Done!'_

I opened my squinted eyes and watched the grass before me expectantly. "Hey Akime!" I heard Hiraku say from behind me, I turned to look behind me, and in doing so, accidentally moved all the blades of grass in the patch in front of my paws. "Damn it!" I hissed angrily, swishing my tail in irritation. The blades wilted. "What're you doing?" The curious young poncle bounced up to me. "Well...ever since meeting Shugami, my powers have been enhanced, which means I can do more than I wanted with a brush stroke. But I know if I draw a smaller technique, then it does less. So right now-" I put my head on the ground and stared intently at the small green plant. "I'm trying to practice blowing just one single blade of grass."

"Sheesh, really? And I thought restraining myself from eating your portion of dinner last night was hard. This is some restraint. Hey! I have an idea! Next, why don't you try and blow all the grass out by their roots?" I started using the brush again, moving it slowly and steadily. Painstakingly so. When I finished, I opened both my eyes and watched the blade anxiously. The single little plant waved in a tiny breeze, while the others around it stayed perfectly still. "Yes!" I barked happily, and wagged my tail. Hiraku looked at me intently with his eyebrows raised in somewhat of a plea, and I grinned back at him mischievously. I readied my tail high in the air to make a gigantic swoop, and then-

"Hey Akime!" I heard a high bark behind me, and I stiffened -tail still in the air- as I heard Shisa bounce up beside me. "Hi Shisa!" I barked, getting to my feet and lowering my tail. There was another dog beside her, a stout, brown-coated, muscular dog that looked like some sort of mastiff. "Who's this?" I asked, looking the new dog up and down, he had a rather threatening appearance. "My name is Ryota." He barked in a low rumble; what would have been terrifying in other circumstances, but was now an even, friendly voice. He bowed his head in greeting, and I did the same. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He barked in his low tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Ryota." I said, lifting my head and smiling.

"Shisa has told me much about you." He said, glancing at the yellow, fluffy dog, who wagged her tail. "Oh yeah, that reminds me! Akime! I think I figured out what the lesson was in the legend you told last night!" She started wagging her tail exuberantly. "Oh?" I said, raising my eyebrows and tilting my head. "We each have a personal power inside us! Even if we think we are weak, we're all powerful!"

"Indeed." I said with a smile. "Faith in the gods is important, but it's also important to have faith in yourself, and in others around you. The gods don't want spineless followers, they want people to have faith in themselves as well." I added. I was glad Shisa could see this so easily, that she could realize what believing really means. My chest filled with warmth and pride for the young dog, then, suddenly I could feel something else as well. I looked down in surprise. My fur glowed with visible, green light, then a viridescent orb appeared out of the center of my chest, and circled around me. It wavered in the air, pulsing with energy, then it glided over towards Shisa. Ryota tensed, but she stared excitedly -if not a bit apprehensively- at the orb as it bobbed through the air towards her, then as it circled around and dove into her chest. She let out a loud breath as she relaxed, tension fading away and she closed her eyes.

"I knew it!" I barked, and Hiraku watched her approvingly. "What was that?" Ryota growled, looking anxious, hackles up in a rigid line down his back. "The orb of Faith!" I barked. "Congratulations, Shisa. You're the first new Canine-slash-mutt-slash-ball-of-fur-Warrior." Hiraku said approvingly. "Really?" She said, looking up, her green eyes gleaming. "Oh my Gods, I'm so happy!" She said, barking and bouncing around in a circle, and I giggled. "Calm down, you might need to learn some patience if you're to be a warrior!" I teased, but she didn't even seem to notice me. I felt a twinge in my heart as I suddenly thought of what this meant. "Shisa..If you've been chosen, you'll have to go away to Kusa Village to train-"

"Okay!" She said, still bouncing. "Which means you'll have to leave Kamiki, for a long time.." "

Yeah?" She barked, still seeming like she was going to never run out of energy, I shook my head with a small smile. Hopefully, when she realized she'd have to leave her family, it wouldn't be too big of a fall for her, and she'd still want to be a warrior. Perhaps her friend was a future warrior too...

"Shisa, I'm going to explore outside the village today, and I need you and Ryota to keep an eye on Daiko and Noriko while I'm gone, I have a feeling they might also have some part to play in this mission before it's over."

"Okey dokey!" She said, jumping up and down in place, then finally becoming still. Ryota dipped his head again in acknowledgment. "I would be glad to help in this mission as well, Akimeterasu."

"Thank you." I said, nodding respectfully as Shisa spotted a dragonfly.

"You know, I would really make a terrible dog, or citizen, or actually a believer if I was mortal." I said, quietly to Hiraku- as Shisa was distracted by the insect, and Ryota had to run after her as she was charging blissfully directly towards the river. "I don't know if it's because I'm a god or not, but I can't see anyone as my master. Sure I might follow the directions of someone older and wiser than me, but I wouldn't follow them blindly- just because. I wouldn't die for someone that wouldn't do the same for me." I finished.

"Huh, weird. I thought gods would be all over the idea of of masters and servants, seeing as you're like supreme beings and everything." Hiraku said, and I shook my head. "For the others...maybe. But for me...no praise is better than praise given out of fear. It tastes bitter, and it feels wrong. I don't want to be feared for the things I might do should you not worship me, I want to be respected for the good things I have done. I'd rather be respected and worshipped for my acts, than be feared and placated for the things I might do." I said. "I'm not going to incinerate you for not laying out proper offerings...But then on the other paw, I do need praise. I can't live without it, because that's what we survive off of. It's our sustenance."

"Ah- is that why you're such a show-off?" Hiraku taunted, and I laughed. "Maybe!" I grinned, and Ryota caught hold of Shisa's tail before she fell into the river facefirst.

"Oh Akime!" I heard another familiar bark, and I swiveled my ears backwards. "I wanted to talk to you about your quest." I turned around, and saw Daiko coming toward us, trotting quickly and gracefully with his long legs. _'I never told him about my mission, how did he find out?' _I thought, before barking: "When did I suddenly become worthy enough in your eyes for you to speak to me like an equal?"

"Ever since I learned you were a Goddess! A creature of high class, blue blood, of prestige! I failed to see it before, but now I see that you're someone like me!"  
_'Like YOU?' _I thought, holding back an angry retort. "I've heard you're gathering together a bunch of 'Canine Warriors', hmm?" He raised a furred brow. "Well, I've decided I will join you, it sounds like a very _honorable_ position, worthy of a dog of my credible status."

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed, but he kept talking. Shisa was back, and was remaining uncharacteristically quiet. "There is a position for 'Honor', yes? I think that will fit me quite nicely. You won't find a better dog for the spot, I'll assure you." He said, flipping his long ears and sticking his nose in the air. "Now, hurry up and find the rest of my fellow warriors- and I'll inspect them all once you've found them. They of course need to share my blood status, and be just as worthy as I." He flicked his tail into my face before trotting off, and I stared after him. "Well, that's one more dog down.." I said, looking up at Hiraku, and he looked down at me with a small frown on his face. "I guess?"

Daiko was willing to come with us, but I didn't know if he would really make a good warrior. He was so stuck up, and rude, and I didn't know if that was really honorable behavior... But what else could Daiko be? I wondered._ 'Maybe duty? Or brotherhood? No, definitely not brotherhood..'_

Shisa looked up, wagging her tail sheepishly, and barked in her shrill voice:

"I'm sorry, I was just talking to him this morning about the weather, and upcoming celebrations, and your mission just sort of slipped out-"

"It's ok, Shisa." I said. I'd only just met the dog, I couldn't judge him so quickly. _'He may yet prove to be a worthy dog- you never know.' _

"We'll see you both later." I barked, dipping my head, and trotting towards the Village entrance. Surely journeying outside the Village would yield even more possible warriors. There didn't seem to be any left in Kamiki, at least for now. Sakuya's enchantment over the map revealed there were no more to be found in the village, but quite a few just outside..

༄༄༄༄༄༄

It was a warm, beautiful morning in Shinshu, the guardian sapling was shedding blossoms and the wind swiftly took the petals and swirled them up through the air and into the surrounding cliffs. I walked slowly, taking everything in, looking and smelling for any canines nearby. To my surprise, I quickly found one. To the side of the path, I saw an ox-cart, and a brown dog lying beneath it. When I passed it, the dog whined nervously and moved farther under the cart. I shrugged and decided to get a move on; I could talk to him later. So, I decided to follow the blossoms of the great guardian sapling, as they blew over the rocks atop a great passageway I knew must surely lead to Hana Valley. Then I entered into darkness.

༄༄༄༄༄༄

I gasped. This...was not the place Mother had told me about; this was maybe the place that it had been before she'd restored it. Gray rock and sludge-filled water lined the walls of the valley, and withered trees were all around. As the Guardian Sapling's petals floated down from the rocks, they withered and crumbled away into dust. I gagged from the smell of the water, then suddenly a commotion up ahead caught my attention.

Two imps were fighting a limber, long-eared canine. They came at her from both directions, but using her lengthy legs, she sprang above them both and out of harm's way. Then she came down on the back of one, and bit down hard. The demon shrieked in pain, and lay still, fading away into flowers- which instantly withered. The second backed away, then ran up the hill away from the fight. The dog panted, dark imp blood stained part of her pale face, then she turned her head and saw me. She sat down and watched us draw closer. She wore a pink blossom on her head, next to her right ear. She was primarily white in coloring, with some light pink-brown on her face and back. She stared at me closely with her amber eyes, -warily- until suddenly she spoke. "Who are you, stranger?"

"I am Akimeterasu." I replied calmly.

"Akimeterasu?" Suddenly her eyes glittered. "A god? So, you have come to deliver Hana valley from evil?" She stood up, looking excited. "Well..." I said. "Thank goodness you've come! I need your help Akimeterasu. If you will most generously offer it." She dipped her head. "...What do you need?" I said, lifting mine, and she looked out over the murky river, her gaze hardening as she did so. "Hana valley wasn't always the place you see now." She said, sweeping the rocks with her amber eyes. "Once it was beautiful and covered in flora, the cherry trees were a delight to both the eyes and nose." She sighed. "But ever since monsters returned, the water has grown putrid, and the trees wither, and they...they even...some of them even killed my best friend.." She bowed her head in sorrow, and I felt sorry for her. I reached to pat her back with a paw- "But I still stay." She said, snapping her head up suddenly with a fierce look in her eyes. "I have to do all I can to destroy the monsters who defile my home, and those that killed my friend! They have to pay for their crimes!" She growled. The red-orange fire of justice raged in them, and I knew at once, this too was a future warrior. So our search began, high and low all over the valley- seeking out demons and annihilating them.

༄༄༄༄༄༄

We spent the day exploring almost every crevice of the valley, killing all the demons we came across- mostly small packs of imps that were trying to settle in; in this new, evil-infested place. All the while, the foul air in Hana Valley seemed to grow steadily worse and worse- more things about us faded and died as Hana grew more and more frustrated. After a few hours, she was furious. "We've traveled this valley from one end to another, and still they're nowhere to be seen.." She barked, prowling on the stone floor. "They must be hiding, cowering in the shadows.."

"What sort of demons are they anyway?" I asked from my perch, overlooking the area. We'd traveled far up the cliffs, high above the Guardian Sapling, into an area that must have been rarely traversed, for the paths were dirty and simple. Maybe it was meant for a spiritual pilgrimage for priests to reach the top of the mountain- or maybe it was a lost path to Yakushi Village; either way, it had stopped being used after monsters infiltrated the valley. "More imps?" We'd killed all the monsters we'd found, and I had a feeling they were almost spent, but there was a great force of evil about this place... "Oh- they're not demons, the monsters that I seek are a pack of boars." She said tersely, and I was taken aback. "But they are just as evil as real demons, Akimeterasu, make no mistake." She assured me.

I hadn't realized what we sought weren't true demons, that they were in fact normal, mortal animals. I felt confused, and conflicted. I'd promised to help Hana, but simple wild boar are not 'evil'. "Hana, could you tell me how your friend died?" I said slowly and respectfully, and she grew rigid. "Yukio was killed when we were exploring in the valley. We came across a giant boar, and the creature attacked him without any warning. It was a vicious animal, attacking without mercy and tearing into him as soon as it saw him. I rushed forward to protect him, but I was tossed against a rock and my vision went black. When I finally woke, he was dead- lying just ahead of me. The dog I'd grown up with dead before my paws. He'd managed to injure the boar enough so that it had died of its wounds a few strides away. But I know there were more, I could smell them; and there were multiple tracks around their bodies. They shall_ all _pay for his death!" Her voice was anguished as she uttered her cry, and I flattened my ears. I was sent to this place to protect people, and from the sound of it, the boar were a threat, but they were animals- I was not to take part in normal mortal conflict, only demonic-based. But if they were killing people...

A loud noise came from father up the cliff, and all of us turned our heads. Hana lowered down into a crouch, and we both ran swiftly and quietly towards the noise. We came to an outcropping over rock above another large room, where a group of creatures were snuffling around nervously. There was a large brown one, and several small speckled ones. It was a family! A family of boar! The scent of blood must have covered the scent of milk, so Hana didn't know. The boar that had attacked Yukio must have been the father! He'd attacked the dog- trying to protect his family.

The biggest of them -what I assumed was the mother- raised its head and looked around, fear in its shiny , beady eyes, and snuffled- snout in the air. The little ones made squealing, whimpering noises, and a great shadow passed over the ground, passing over the sun for a fleeting moment. There was a terrible squawking shriek, and the family of boar tried to flee back to the wall, but a great creature landed in-between them and safety. From the moment I saw it, I knew this was the creature that was causing the great disturbance in the valley- it emanated decay and wrath. It was a mighty creature with the beak and wings of a bird, but with razor-sharp feathers, and brown, black, and white fur on its body and four legs, which ended in paws. He oozed with unhealed wounds, leaking dark blood; and I could see a few of his bones showing through the ragged patches near its ribs and back leg. On its thin, angular wings, it had a giant black claw sticking out of the joint in the middle, up into the sky. His face was not entirely bird-like, it had fur, and drooping, torn ears. Its eyes were dark and clouded.

He stalked towards them -set on his prey- and the piglets squealed in fright, ducking behind their mother. It opened its mouth and let out another terrible screech, preparing to attack. I leaped forward to stop the creature when Hana growled. "No!" She said, sticking out her tail to block the way. "They deserve it! They all do!" I heard rage and fire in her tone, but I also heard conflict as her voice broke, and it sounded like a question. She squeezed her eyes shut, and growled again. I could see she was fighting a battle against herself- against her own anger and pain. "Hana-" I whispered, seeing the monster prowl closer and closer to the babies. We couldn't just let them die.

But before I could say anything else, she shook her head and her eyes flew open, then she charged down the hill, snarling to draw the beast's attention. I let out a howl and reared upwards as Hiraku whooped -waving his tiny hat in the air- then raced after her.

The winged beast turned to face us and shrieked in fury. His face was a mess of a beak, fur, and feathers, mashed together as only a monster's face can be. Hana let out a howl and dodged to the left, drawing its attention away from the boars. Her tactic worked, and the monster focused on her, watching her every move. It readied for attack, lifting its paw -large, overgrown claws glinting- and I leaped on its back, wrapping my rosary around its neck. It squawked and bucked around, flapping its terrible wings in an attempt to throw me off. I struggled to stay on its back, holding both ends of the wooden rosary as it burned into the demon's neck with its power. Then one of the black spikes on its wing caught the side of my head and I tumbled off. I summersaulted on the floor to stay on my feet as I went spinning away. While I was temporarily out of the fight, Hana took her turn- running forward to engage the creature. She dodged its sweeping wings, and went for its chest- sinking her fangs in. It howled in pain and scratched at her, so she flipped away to safety. It rose into the air, high enough to block the light again, and did a death-spiral-like attack into the ground. We dodged out of the way at the last second, and it pummeled into the floor- leaving a giant crack in the stone. It recovered quickly, and used its iron-like wings blocked our attacks, covering its face with them; but when it lowered them to taunt us, I had only to slash at his face and he would drop his defense. The battle was quick, but fierce- and tough. Then, finally, the last blow was struck.

For an instant, he stood frozen, still in shock, and he stared Hana in the eyes, as she'd made the final strike. "You shall _not_ harm them!" She growled, fire raging in her eyes. Something flashed across its face -and something wispy seemed to leave its body- then all light was gone from its deadened eyes, and it fell to the floor. It collapsed into a bed of flowers, body fading away into nothing. Hana looked at the spot where it disappeared, not moving, just sitting and staring with a shocked look on her face.

"Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost." I asked, padding up behind her. "Yes, I'm fine." She said, blinking and shaking her head. Then, her eyes fell on the boar family, the mother standing in the middle of the piglets, and watching her. The two stood off, staring each other down, but neither making a move. The thick-muscled, powerful she-boar lowered her head, brown coat rippling gold in the sun. Hana's lip was curled in a wary way, still none of them moved. Perhaps Hana was regretting her decision of saving them?

Then, one of the little pigs came forward, -between his mother's legs- and looked at her with wide, curious eyes; at once, she seemed taken aback. The little piglet walked up to her on little spindly legs, keeping its tiny gaze on her. Then wobbled still closer and pressed up against her leg, closing its eyes. She gazed down at it, looking shocked, then I saw her muscles loosen, and her face relax. She used her other paw to scoop it up and hug the little pig to her chest. The tiny creature almost disappeared into her thick chest fur, and snuggled close into her warm, soft, white silky coat. I heard a sniff beside me from Hiraku, and I felt water start to fill the edge of my eyes, I had to blink it away. My heart was melted from it all, especially the peace between them, and forgiveness. Then, an actual glowing orb separated itself from my chest, burning with a bright red fire, and floated over to Hana, enveloping her with the warm, heart-felt glow of justice.

_ 'Another warrior down_', I thought as I sniffed, and Hana broke away from the little boar; putting it back down on the stone. Hana smiled, and the little pig snuffled at her. "I swear, I will help right the wrong that was made to your family. I will help provide for you, in the ways that your father is no longer able to. And I- I shall gain a new family. Yukio would not have wanted my heart to be filled with hatred, and I know he would not want an innocent family to starve. What happened to him was an accident, and many have suffered for it, but no longer." Both the piglets' father and Yukio's deaths had been a mistake, a tragic mistake, yet in the end, Hana got a new family, position, and friends; and the boar family got another member of the family, and a new protector. The sun was high overhead, just starting to descend into the west, but the mother boar snorted loudly, and called all the babies back to her. She gave Hana a look of well-won respect and gratitude, and Hana returned the gaze. Then we started on our way back. "This is not the justice I went searching for...but I think it is better." She turned back and smiled at the little pig.

As we walked back down the mountain-trail, I told Hana about what had happened with the orb- that she'd been chosen to be a Canine Warrior. She nodded in assent, she agreed to come with me to train, but then she would return here to fulfill her promise. As we traveled back, I found my mind wandering to what justice really is. It is more than vengeance, it's also about compromise. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, after all. Justice is about dealing out punishment, but also taking it yourself. It's about being more than yourself, about ultimately- peace, and forgiveness. Justice is fire, punishing fire, but about not judging others, and not placing yourself in a place of higher honor. It's about knowing when to be harsh, but also to see multiple sides. It's about doing what must be done, whether pleasant or not. Taking it upon yourself to do what's right, no matter what.

Already, the valley was starting to renew itself. Fresh water flowed down the river, little sprouts were popping up from the ground, and buds were forming on the cherry trees. The evil that had been suppressing Sakuya's sapling was gone. That feel of lasting hatred was gone, and new things could grow. My tail looped in almost endless circles around the trees as we trotted down the path, and we picked up speed as the blossoms burst around us, so we were dashing through a cherry-blossom storm. Hana herself had changed too, she no longer was holding onto dark feelings, she was free.

We talked for most of the walk back, about what had happened, her friend, the monster; it was only when we got to the ox-cart, did chaos reappear. As we rounded the cart, a brown blur came out from around the other side, lunging towards us- and I heard a scream of: "DEATH!"

**(AN: WOHOOOOOOO Next chapter! :D Gods, this took FOREVER! Hana's story was a pain to write, and only a week ago I had a stroke of inspiration and changed the whole thing. The next chapter will also probably be a while, since this is an area of the story where I had little previously written out. **

**I didn't really think I'd address religion so early on into a story, oh well. *shrug* Hana valley seems to fall into ruin a lot, doesn't it? XD But the places that harbor the most beauty, often draw the most evils to them. **

**The creature Akime and Hana had to fight is called an Onmoraki, a bird-demon made from the body of someone who recently died. It may or may not have more meaning than just being a boss in the story. **

**That little-pig scene was so fun to write. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, DAAAWWWWWWW! 3)**


	12. Chapter 11- The Curse

**CHAPDERR ELEBEN**

**The Curse**

"Death! Death and darkness!" The creature bayed, staring at us in wide-eyed fear. "It's coming! The living shadows, the endless curse!" I lowered my weapon, hackles falling. It was a brown dog, staring at us with wide pale blue eyes that seemed to look past us- unable to see the figures standing in front of it. "Death and destruction!" The dog looked around wildly, legs shaking. "A city soon to fall; the son of the fox to end it all-"

"Woah, woah, woah, what're you talking about?" Hiraku said, crawling back over my head- as he'd tumbled not-too-gracefully off backwards at the dog's sudden appearance. "Betrayal! Chaos! The king must give up his throne, or the kingdom shall be overrun! The fox...The fox's son shall be their doom!" He stared, ever more terrified past us, one of his blue eyes was clouded over; he was half-blind. "What's wrong with him?" Hana asked, looking worried. "I've seen someone like this before..." Hiraku said. "Not quite this melodramatic, but someone who could see into the future. I think this dog has the power of Prophecy." I raised my eyebrows, I also knew someone on the plains with the power of Prophecy: Waka. The gift was rare, very rare indeed, especially for mortals.

"But why does he act this way?" Hana inquired. "Can he only see trouble in the future?" The spaniel tilted her head, looking troubled. "You.." The brown dog whispered, quivering, looking at me. "You bring the darkness. You chase it and it follows you, your path is never to be free from it. **_The daughter will fall to darkness.._**" His last sentence echoed with power and meaning, and I felt a chill go up my spine. It felt like he was staring into my soul, reading my destiny. However, I held my ground as the feeling flooded over me, even though what he said worried me. What he spoke was no mere prediction, that was a line of true prophecy. The others seemed not to have noticed what happened, and Hiraku was answering Hana's question. "Sometimes the gift goes funny- where they can only see certain outcomes, sometimes only dark futures." Hiraku continued. "Or, of course he could just be completely bonkers." Hiraku shrugged. "Either way."

"I..I see things...things I don't want to see." The dog whimpered, slowly coming out of his daze, and cowering close to the ground. "I'm so sorry.." He whined. "I can't help it. I can't stop the curse.."

"The curse?" I asked, very interested. "I was born with this curse. So that I can't see anything out of my left eye, except for when it awakens to show me horrible things that are destined to happen; but only terrible things." Maybe all prophets were..strange. I tilted my head.

"It's alright, it's not your fault. What's your name?" I inquired. "Jun." He said quickly and quietly, looking nervous to be surrounded by a wolf, a strange dog, and a little glowing bug. "My name is Jun."

"Well, that's quite an interesting gift you have there Jun...I'm sure many would love to be able to tell the future- good or bad." Hiraku said, and I wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort the dog, or making an observation. "They don't have to always know." The dog said. "They don't know what it's like to always tell what's going to happen, to foresee every awful thing that's going on miles away. Every death, every murder..I'm burdened with that knowledge."

_'Knowledge.'_ A light went off in my head. This dog was gifted with a form of knowledge, he was born with it. Maybe that could qualify him to be a warrior. "Where's your master?" I asked, looking at the cart that Jun was tied to. "He's gone. After the cart broke down, the ox ran off. He'll be back..sometime." He said dejectedly. "Does he treat you well?" I asked. "Well enough...I'm not a good guard dog, and if I do a poor job...he beats me...At times I do think I'd be better off on my own. He only keeps me because no one would buy me- I bring bad luck." He lowered his head. The poor dog was skinny, not as skinny as Noriko; but he was obviously mistreated. How could his owner beat such a poor dog?

"Well Jun, I think we can help you escape." I said, trotting up to the cart. "But I can't just leave him! No matter how he treats me!" Jun's ears went backwards. "He'll find me! And then...and then-"

"Any master that beats his dog does not deserve to keep him." Hana growled and walked forward, eyes again ablaze. "No! No no no no no..." He whimpered, cowering under the cart, but Hana continued struggling to pull the rope free, gnawing at the thick twine. "That'll take too much time. His master could get here any minute! Hana, get out of the way!" Hiraku shouted, and the limber dog glanced over her shoulder, then jumped aside. As soon as she was clear, I cut through the thick rope with a neat power-slash. The two ends sprang apart, severed cleanly in the middle.

"Hey! What's going on?" I heard a man shout, and we all looked up. There was an angry man, dragging an ox behind him- running towards us. "Get away from there, you mangy mutts!" I expected to have to drag Jun out from under the cart, but as soon as he heard the man's gruff voice, the dog shot out from under the cart and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction- tail between his legs. Hana and I took chase, running after him towards the village. "Good riddance, you cowardly mongrel! You can't run from your luck- just take it with you!" The man reached the cart, and grabbed up the rope and shook his fist at us, but we were already gone.

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Jun stopped by the trees leading into the village, he sat down and started panting. "I shouldn't have done that.." He whined to himself. "Now what'll I do? I'll starve! I can't hunt!" He whimpered, quaking. "At least you're free from that cruel man." Hana said, sitting down beside him, but the labrador-like dog only covered his face with his paws and trembled.

I walked up to them, and saw a fluffy yellow shape running towards us. "Akime! You're back!" Shisa yipped, Ryota was behind her, along with Daiko. "Shisa, Ryota, Daiko- this is Hana, and this is Jun." I said, gesturing with my tail from one dog to the other. Jun was looking around nervously, not making eye contact with anyone. "Take care of him, he's been through a lot today." I said to the yellow dog. "We all have." I added, looking back at Hana. Jun had looked up, and as soon as he laid eyes on Daiko, he suddenly grew rigid. "You, you're from the city.." He said, in a strange tone. "Yes, I am." Daiko barked in his normal, uppity voice. Jun's eyes started glowing, clouded eye shining a bright blue.

"**_A city burns, and turns to ash; shadowed by a demon from the past, that fills it with gloom._**

**_What should have been the city's wedding is shrouded in death, announced by a trusted friend's last breath, destruction the groom. _**

**_The city will ring with the call of fallen bamboo; _**

**_And the fox's son shall be their doom._**"

He spoke in a voice that rang with the same power as when he'd spoken to me before; but this time it was a whole prophecy, not just a single line. We sat in awed silence, staring at him, as his eye stopped glowing and he returned to normal. A feeling of awe, wonder, and apprehension flooded over us all. He truly was gifted with prophecy. He truly had a knowledge that no one else possessed. Suddenly, my chest started glowing, and a pink orb appeared out of my fur. Jun yelped, jumping a foot in the air. "What is that?! Get it away!" He whimpered, running away from the glowing ball. He fled into the village, trying to duck under a porch, but the sphere of light only followed him.

"Where'd you find...him?" Daiko asked, nose pointed in the air. "He reminds me of stories of mooncalves...one's who would proclaim death, then die. Creatures with no purpose in their lives except to spread fear and chaos." The brown dog proceeded to try and dig farther under the house as he spoke. "He's nothing more than a Kudan." Daiko sniffed. The pink orb caught up to the dog, and while he was half-hidden under the house, it absorbed into him. He froze as it touched his fur, and only slightly untensed as its power flowed through him. "Awesome, Jun! Now you're a warrior too!" Shisa barked excitedly, and bounced up to him. "I'm a- what?" He said, squirming around and poking his head out from under the house, and the yellow dog began exuberantly explaining what the orb meant.

"So far, I am not pleased with your choices of warriors, Akime." Daiko barked. "None of them have met my expectations, or fit the requirements I set for you. None of the one's I've questioned can trace their lineage back past their grandparents! And I'm sure that _these_ two can't either!" He stated with remarkable distain. I sighed. "I'll have to talk to you later Daiko, I need some rest after a long day...and I want all the possible dogs to meet tomorrow.." He ignored me completely and kept talking. "Oh, and just a minute ago some pup even came up to me and asked about you, but I told him to leave immediately. I told him no **ruffian **pup would be eligible for an esteemed position like being a Canine Warrior." He puffed out his chest, looking happy with himself. "What?" Both Hiraku and I exclaimed at almost the exact same time. "Gods Daiko!" I barked, and ran towards the house, hoping the poor pup hadn't run away already. Hiraku stayed behind to berate the haughty Saluki, and I looked around, even glancing under the houses, scenting for any sign of him. "Hello?" I barked, peering under one, and I saw blue eyes looking back at me. They blinked. "Hello.." A voice replied, and I heard it was indeed a pup.

"Hi there, I'm Akime." I said in a reassuring tone. "I heard you were looking for me."

"I was, then your friend told me to leave...He seemed quite intent on it too." I heard a twinge of hurt in the pup's quiet voice, and I sighed. "You'll have to forgive Daiko, he doesn't speak for everyone, although he likes to think he does." The eyes blinked again, and a small figure stepped out into a ray of light. It was a husky puppy with gray and white fur. He looked no older than six months, and had stern blue eyes. "What's your name?" I asked. "Kei." He replied, staring at me steadily. He had eyes unlike any pup I'd ever seen before, very serious and calm- filled with a wisdom, a responsibility beyond his age. Like he'd been robbed of his puphood, and an adult dog with the face of a pup stood before me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you-" And I cut off, as I heard another voice from the shadows. "Kei?" It was a softer pitch, and a girl puppy poked her head out from around a wooden beam. "Gina," Kei barked. "You can come out, it's safe." The girl pup walked slowly up to us, keeping her eyes averted. She was much smaller than Kei, maybe she was a runt, or a sibling from a younger litter. "This is my sister, Gina." He said as she reached us. She had paler fur than her brother, -almost white on her back- but they both had the same blue eyes. "I've been taking care of her ever since we were small, when our mother died. I've had to hunt to keep us both alive, and protect her." He stood strong, sheltering her. 'Since we were small' made me wonder how long they'd been alone, still being young pups now. His stance spoke of a solemn life, full of struggle and strife. So young, and yet already he's taken on such a responsibility, with no sign of there ever being relief. His fur was scruffy, while hers was more smooth, he'd obviously been in a few recent tussles.

One of their stomachs growled, and my ears flattened in pity. "Here, take this." I said, grabbing a meat-bag out of my travel-pouch, and tossing it in front of his paws. A smile broke across his face for the first time. "Thank you." I laid down on the soft dirt and grass beneath the house and asked in a gentle voice: "Why were you looking for me?"

"I heard those other dogs talking about you looking for 'Canine Warriors'.." I nodded, and he continued. "My mother always said my father was a warrior, and I want to make both my parents proud." He stuck out his chest, eyes glimmering with resilience, and I felt admiration for the pup. "I want to learn how to fight, so I can better protect Gina and myself." I smiled at the husky pup. He was filled with such duty, to his sister- It was stronger than any bond I had seen yet so far on my journey.

Suddenly, a blue light lit up the shadows under the house, and emerged from my chest. I could hardly believe it. Another warrior? Already?

The steady blue light of Duty sat in the air between us, and the pups watched it in awe. It floated closer, until it was right in front of Kei's nose. He watched it, light reflected in his eyes, as it absorbed into him. He closed his eyes and let out a breath, and his sister watched him anxiously. "Kei?" She said worriedly, ears lowered. He looked down, still a bit startled, then looked up at me with a confused expression. "What was that?"

"That was the orb of Duty. You have been chosen, to train to be a Canine Warrior!"

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We walked up to a glowing-red Hiraku and an indignant Daiko- who clearly wasn't paying attention to the poncle's choice-worded criticism. "Another one, Akime?" Daiko sniffed as he saw us. "And the PUP no less? At least he looks like he's well-bred." I focused hard on not rolling my eyes, and said to the snobby dog: "He's a warrior, which is more than you can say, Daiko. He is a worthy dog, and the Orb of Duty has accepted him as its new bearer." I looked down at the pup and shot him a grin, which he shyly returned. Now Daiko rolled his eyes. "Pah! Orbs have no brains, no intellect, nor mind of their own; how can they make the best choices?" He walked around me, brushing me with his long tail. "I think maybe somebody needs to choose for them." I shook my head and sighed as the lean dog stalked off. I couldn't think of any position that could suit him: not loyalty, not wisdom, definitely not brotherhood..

Kei looked up at me, blue eyes wide. "Akime, what about my sister? Can she be a warrior too?" He looked worried; his sister had cautiously walked toward the other dogs to introduce herself. "If she is chosen by an orb as well, then yes." I replied, watching her. "But what if she isn't? What then?" His voice was pitched with fear. "Well.." I said, hesitant to answer. "I'd have to leave her here.." He flattened his ears, looking horrified. "I can't leave her! I wouldn't! I couldn't-"

"Calm down Kei. We'll figure something out- either way." I put a paw on his chest, and smiled again. "We won't leave your sister to survive by herself."

Hiraku bounced up to the pup and introduced himself, and Kei told him his story. Shisa and Ryota talked with Jun and Hana, Hana seemed keen to talk to the other dogs, but Jun mostly cowered behind her, like Gina had behind her brother. "Wow, there really are a lot of dogs here that have gone through a lot. First Noriko, then Jun..But you know what I said earlier, Akime? I take it back. THIS is the unluckiest dog I've ever met." He said looking at me, referring to the gray pup, who had spent most of his life alone, struggling to keep his sister and himself alive.

Kei walked up to his sister, and the older dogs surrounded the pups. "You guys don't have any place to sleep?" Shisa barked, aghast after hearing Gina's story. "You can stay with me! I'm sure my masters won't mind! My mistress loves puppies!" Then Shisa smiled, and tried to get them to play. Kei stood stoically off to the side, but Gina gladly accepted invitation and play-bowed to the fluffy dog, curled, fluffy tail up in the air. Shisa giggled and started running, and the she-pup raced after her. Kei watched them run, and although his stance spoke of calm disinterest, his eyes followed them enviously. "It's good to play while you're still young." I said, walking up to him. "Playing is a sort of practice for when you're older. Even adults do it sometimes, to practice, and also bond, and to keep spirits up."

"Really?" He said, tilting his head, and I nodded, smiling. "Come on!" I tagged his shoulder with a paw and leaped after Shisa. Ryota and Hana quickly joined in, and we ran around the open area of the village, between the stream, the fence, and the turnip-patch. The pups ran ahead, barking and yipping, and the rest of us tried to catch up, avoiding each other's attempts to tag. I smiled as Hiraku egged me on to go faster and though about how well today had gone for our quest.

_ 'I found four dogs today! And I have several other dogs that could very well turn out to be warriors! I just need to evaluate them, see how well they really work together..The full moon is only a few days away, but surely I can find all the new warriors in time! Yes, all the dogs will meet tomorrow to get to know their fellow candidates. I can see how they all interact with one another, guess what their virtues might be, eliminate those that do not fit, and find out how many dogs are left to find.' _

_'How hard could this be?'_

**(AN: Never a good question to ask yourself Akime, never. You're dooming yourself. Filler chapter! But more dogs were introduced, so there are some things happening '^^)**


	13. Chapter 12- Hopeless!

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Hopeless!**

The sun was setting, sinking behind the horizon and turning the sky from orange to a deep purple. I howled as the last of the sun finally sank completely out of sight, heralding the night and summoning everyone to the gathering.

That day had been rather uneventful: Hiraku and I hadn't found any other dogs, even though we'd spent most of the morning searching, and Sakuya's marks showed no new dogs nearby. Although our morning searches were fruitless, we spent the afternoon with the known prospective warriors, getting to know them all a little more. Noriko proved to be a bit of a loner, Kei never left his sister's side, and Jun was still a bit frightened of everyone. However, they did get along pretty well- save Daiko, who still viewed himself being above everyone else.

Hiraku and I had stacked firewood and rock in the grass-covered area by the river to make a large pyre, we'd even rolled a few logs around the site to act as seating. With a quick, graceful sweep of my tail I drew a sideways 8, and the wood was set ablaze as a fiery sphere engulfed in fire appeared above it. The fire grew swiftly, rising into the deepening night and sending embers high into the air.

Then, the dogs slowly started to appear. First Daiko arrived, stepping proudly out into the light. Then Shisa, Ryota, Kei, and Gina all together. Then Hana, Jun, and finally Noriko. I was glad to see her, Noriko took some convincing to agree to show up at the meeting, she was very mistrusting of other creatures. "Why are you here, in the village?" She'd asked me earlier when I'd sought her out; and I told her I would tell her tonight -if she came. So she did.

"I'm so glad everyone could make it!" I started, smiling at all the dogs. "I hope this meeting will help you get to know fellow warriors, and allow you to discover if you are destined to be a Canine Warrior!" Hiraku leaped off my head and bounced around, talking to all the dogs, and starting up conversation, which was all part of the plan: the dogs didn't all know each other, but they all knew Hiraku. Most of the dogs clustered around one side of the fire, Noriko on the border, with Daiko and Jun on opposite sides, facing each other across the inferno. They laughed, Shisa and Hiraku had started to tell jokes and funny stories. Minutes trickled by, and Noriko even seemed to be enjoying herself, leaning in and listening intently. I beamed, feeling that I was almost visibly radiating happiness. So far so good; it was time to evaluate.

Faith, Knowledge, Duty, and Justice were already chosen, all that remained was to escort them to the shrine, and- I had a feeling Wisdom and perhaps Brotherhood were still among the small group of dogs. Although, maybe Ryota could prove be Loyalty, I didn't know for certain, but I had an inkling about him. Still, what virtue could Daiko prove to be? Or Gina? Were they meant to be warriors at all, or did they possibly have some other part to play?

The conversation changed topics, and all the dogs began telling one another where they were from, and what journeys they had been on in the past. Daiko went first, stating proudly his story of being from Sei-an's aristocratic quarters, where he'd lived in a lavish house with his masters and was now waiting for them to return. However, he added- if he was picked, he would of course leave them for the Gale Shrine. His loyalty to his humans was truly moving, and in that moment I longed for the chance to tell him that the Shrine was actually a cave underneath a windmill.

Hana told her story of living in Hana valley with Yukio, and retold for everyone's benefit the adventure we'd been on the day before. Ryota told an exciting tale of his youth, and his own travels across Nippon. He was born in a tiny village, and was raised there, learning how to survive on the edge of the wild. He'd fought monsters throughout his life, and been the companion of great samurai.

Kei and Gina had lived on the outskirts of human civilization, taking food when they could, and taking shelter in barns and under houses. Their mother died when they were only around two months old. They never knew their father, and the only knowledge they had of him from what their mother had told them before she died. They'd never been the companions of humans, but Gina said -in her quiet voice- that she often thought it seemed like a nice life. Noriko even opened up, and said she had spent most of her life around Kamiki, living atop the waterfall and surviving on her own.

Shisa's story was long and full of detail- she'd lived her whole life in small villages, her people occasionally up-and-leaving for a new place to live when they got bored of the old one. Jun had also traveled from village to village, bounced between masters who believed him to be bad luck. He was also nervous about the impending travel ahead. "A journey across the land is sure to be fraught with danger." Jun said, shivering, and Daiko bristled. "If you hope to be a warrior, you must make the journey, like everyone else. Or if you're too big a coward, you must relinquish your orb, and stay here!" His whiny voice sparked with annoyance. "Yes, but-" The brown dog tried to respond, but was cut off. "What is he even doing here?" The black and white dog growled, looking at Jun and making him flinch, and just like that, the peaceful talk was over. "There is no place among the Canine Warriors for a Kudan."

"Daiko!" Ryota and I both snarled. "What?" He sneered. "I only speak the truth. You've seen how he cowers before his own shadow!" The tall dog snarled, staring the half-blind Jun down. "He was born with his powers, they frighten him, but he will learn to master them when-"

"If he cannot control his own gifts, than he cannot take on any more!" Daiko's tail thrashed and he stood up. "Sit _down_ Daiko!" Ryota rose to his paws, bristling. His deep voice very threatening, and he looked ominous, partially illuminated by the fire. "If you cannot be respectful to the other dogs here, then it is _you_ that must leave!"

"I will not consent be any sort of comrade to a dog as low as **him**." The saluki stalked off, -nose held high- leaving us in silence.

"..Uh...Cherry cakes anyone?" Hiraku asked, trying to break the terrible quiet, and holding up a plate of Mrs. Orange's delicious treats that we'd begged of her. "Thank you Hiraku, but I think it's time for us to go; I need to take Shisa home to her masters." Ryota said in his rumbling voice, as he and Shisa rose to their feet. "I'm sorry for almost losing my temper, Akime." Ryota rumbled and dipped his head, and I shook my own. "No, it wasn't your fault." I said, internally blaming the arrogant Saluki. Kei and Gina rose to follow them home. "I think I'll go with them, I'm feeling pretty tired myself." Hiraku added, stretching. Hana and Jun also got to their paws, thanking us for inviting them to the meeting, then disappearing into the darkness. Then I was left in the silence, next to a slowly dying fire.

I felt terrible for how awfully the meeting had gone, after it started off so well...it fell apart so quickly. My tail lowered in shame. Noriko had fallen completely silent since Daiko had stormed off, and was sitting by herself near the edge of the fire, the last dog remaining. I padded over and sat down next to her. Then to my surprise, she suddenly started talking: "Even though I've lived here almost all my life, I've never really b-belonged here." She said quietly, blue eyes glittering with sorrow. "I've never really belonged anywhere, never had a place in life. Maybe I'm no better than Jun. I've n-never stood up for myself, never fought for anything- only to stay alive But what s-sort of life is that? It's e-empty, and every night it's the same, and I end up alone." She cast her gaze down at the ashes of the fire. "I have no place, and no friends. I'm trapped."

I felt sorry for her, it was obvious she'd had a tough life. "Maybe you do have a place in life." I said, and she raised her head to look at me. "You asked me before why I'm here...I'm on a quest, to find dogs who can become Canine Warriors. You have shown yourself to be a wise and caring dog, perhaps-" I didn't get to finish, Noriko had stiffened. "M-me?!" She stammered, quivering. "Are you saying you want ME to be a... B-but I'm not a warrior! I can't fight! I can't!" Her eyes were panicked, she rose to her feet and fled into the village before I could stop her. "Noriko!" I called out in vain, but she'd already vanished. I sighed, I knew she had the power to fit her destiny, she just didn't know it yet herself. I gazed into the ever deepening night, a few beams of light glowed from the houses, and the stars shone bright, reflected on the water's surface. A light wind blew, and the moon was wide and shining. I hadn't realized what a small amount of time had been allotted to me for this quest until now. I sighed again. _'How on earth am I going to complete my quest by the full moon now? It's impossible!' _I shook my head in disappointment, then got up and padded away.

I closed my eyes, then I heard a crackling of grass and leaves, and I flicked my ears. "Everyone left, I see. Not everyone is as dedicated to the mission as I." The saluki said, stepping in and out of the moonlight. "Not right now Daiko..." I closed my eyes, but he ignored me. "Here I was, simply trying to help weed out the weaker candidates, doing nothing more than what helping you as I've always done, and they chased me off! You can hardly blame them, it's bad breeding. But now we have a chance to talk alone, and I can prove to you, that I -above all- deserve a place among the warriors. You shouldn't listen to that rag-tag group, Akime. And I don't want just any silly position, no- I deserve to be the Canine Warrior of Honor!" He grinned at me, a very false, pointed smile. He walked over towards the logs, and stood on one. "You see, in Sei-an, there happened to be an incredibly brutish pack of strays that terrorized the neighborhood. But- using the power of _honor_," He drew out the word. "I managed to become top-dog of their vicious pack! Using my speech skills and personal talent. I made even the biggest, meanest dogs bow down before me! Quite a feat for a weak city-dog don't you think?" I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "No less could be expected from a dog of my impeccable breed. Of course." He lifted up a pure white paw to examine it. "Meaning in short: you bullied them and or annoyed them into letting you get the first bite of every meal. Of course." I took a bite out of my own cherry cake, and I saw him squirm out of the corner of my eye- but he quickly regrouped. "What on earth are you talking about? Are you saying I'm not honorable? I've never killed anyone, or stolen, or broken the law! I was a model citizen back in Sei-an!"

I was beginning to hate the way he used the word honor. He twisted it from its true meaning, and my eyes flashed in distaste. He noticed it and quickly snapped: "What would YOU know about it anyway? You're just a savage wolf!" My hackles raised, hair on end, and I struggled to keep my emotions under control. "Ugh, when do you think that we can journey to Taka pass? Are you, or are you not in charge of rounding up my future comrades? It's sure taking you a long time, especially since you have to start over. Oh, make sure this time that they're all purebreds." He leaned backwards, reclining on the log. "Yes, that's going to speed up the search SO much more." I said, looking down at the fire. "The wait will be worth it. I won't have anything else but all my other fellow warriors be as worthy and honorable as I. And the only way to guarantee that is by having them come from noble lines." My lips curled up. "Only such purebred dogs would show dignity in their work, and dare be honorable! Like me, keeper of the virtue of-"

"I can't allow you to become the Canine Warrior of Honor Daiko." I growled, trying to keep my voice calm. "What are you talking about?" He sat up. "If you were meant to be the warrior, why hasn't the power orb chosen you yet? I'm not in charge of who it chooses, it is!" I snarled, my voice growing louder now. "The power orb would never choose you anyway, you're a bully and a snob! Both, are the worst things twisted honor, over-indulged pride, can possibly make us become!" I snapped, my hackles raised, and I stood up. "You are the complete opposite of what honor is." I snarled. His long face was full of confusion, but I didn't care; I couldn't put up with him or his whining anymore. I stalked off, away from the fire. Head down, ears completely back I growled lowly.

The waxing moon shone brightly in the sky, reminding me again I didn't have much time left; and I was now at least two dogs behind what I was before. I thumped down on the ground, and sighed heavily. _'Now I have almost no potential warriors. And for actual warriors I have two dogs, a coward, and a pup. This is hopeless!'_ I looked up at the stars, frustrated tears appearing in the corners of my eyes. _'How can I ever complete this mission in time?'_

**(Oohh, harsh much Akime? Well...He was being kind of a snob, but still- harsh. :/ **

**Answers: Yes, Waka does play a small part in the story, and will be appearing later in the story, in fact, pretty soon. ^^)**


	14. Chapter 13- Seven Spirited Lives

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Seven Spirited Lives

I lay in the shade under the tree by the turnip patch, head on my paws. I'd gotten up early to go outside and think, stepping over the sleeping forms of the other dogs laying in Shisa's owners' house. The old couple had taken to the pups right away, and Kameyo seemed quite attached to Gina already. I raised my head as I saw a little point of orange light hop in yard-long bounces towards me. "Hey, how're you doing furball?" Hiraku asked, and I laid my head back on my paws. "My head hurts, I spent way too much time the other night trying to figure out what to do."

"Hey, don't worry fuzzbrain!" He said, stroking my white fur with his tiny hand. "Everything will work itself out in the end. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? You let down a few dogs you don't even know? Sure it's your first real quest, but you already found them half their progeny!" I snorted, and smiled at his attempts of comfort. "Thanks." I said, somewhat sarcastically, and somewhat honestly. Even though his words weren't that comforting, I appreciated him trying to lift my spirits.

My ears perked forward as the door to Shisa's masters' house suddenly opened and a fluffy yellow dog appeared. "Akime..." She barked, walking up to me with her ears flat in sorrow. "Yeah?" I asked, turning to face her. "I've been thinking a lot about becoming a warrior...and...I can't leave my family. My people need me- I can't just abandon them! They'd be heartbroken! They need someone to look after. They need someone to care for while I'm gone, and someone to take care of them in turn!" She barked, distressed. She obviously didn't want to let me down, but she couldn't leave her people either. "I figured as much.." I said with a resigned sigh. She'd finally realized the problem in the plan; I was down another dog.

The door slid open again, and a small pale figure appeared in the doorway. "Akime? Have you seen Kei anywhere?" It was Gina, trotting up to me, blue eyes shining with worry. "Yes, he was-" But I cut myself off as an idea came to me. "Shisa...You say you don't want to leave because you don't want your people to be alone, right?"

"Yeah..?" She tilted her head, wondering what I was getting at. "And your brother didn't want to leave because he didn't want you alone, and unprotected.." I turned to Gina, who nodded, looking a little confused. "I think I have a solution to both those problems." The two girl dogs lifted their heads and flicked their ears forward attentively.

"Your masters would surely be lonely without a dog to look after and protect them, and of course you wouldn't want to leave them in such a heartbroken state. But, what if there was a way? Say there was a stray pup in need of a home they could take in, to fill the hole in their hearts?" I grinned as what I was getting at slowly dawned on them, smiles cracking across their faces. "If I needed to, I could ask it of them in a divine request...an act of faith- but I don't think that would be necessary." Gina looked ecstatic. "Really? You think that will really work?" She yipped in a high voice, tail wagging. Shisa answered for me. "They'll love you! They already do!"

"Wow! I'll have real people!" Gina barked, which sounded almost like a squeak, and jumped up and down in place. "I think you'll fit in just fine." I smiled. "I've got to go tell Kei!" She said, and dashed off to go find him. Shisa and I grinned after her. The yellow dog still looked forlorn, but that was to be expected. She'd made a decision, and she was leaving her life behind. I opened my mouth to say something, when I heard a deep woof: "Akime!"

We turned our heads to see Ryota trotting up the path, he'd been sleeping under the shelter of the trees by Susano's house. "Akime, I would be honored to take up any responsibility offered to me. I feel like I journeyed to Kamiki for a reason, and this is that reason- to become a Warrior. I've been a lone dog most of my life, companions I've made are far in between, but all loyal and trustworthy." He looked to Shisa and smiled. "Though I long lived the life of a lone dog, it never suited me; I feel like I'm finally ready to join my pack. Become a Canine Warrior." The Mastiff stood proudly in front of us, and I smiled at him. "I feel there will definitely be a place for you at the Gale Shrine, Ryota." I had a feeling that this dog would be the center of the warriors; the one to keep them all together. Shisa would be his support, the spirit of the group, but he would be the steady beating heart. I felt a familiar rush of energy, and the orange glow of the orb of Brotherhood appeared, and I felt surprisingly stronger as I watched it bob towards him. It was empowering to help others find their own destiny. "Yay! Now you get to come with us too!" Shisa yelped, and tackled the Mastiff, which was surprising- given their size difference. I laughed, then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a gray figure padding cautiously through the village. I turned my head, and saw it was Noriko. "Excuse me Ryota." I barked, and ran towards the gray dog.

"Noriko!" I called out. This was the first time I'd seen her since she'd run off.

"Oh, hello A-ki-kime." She said, stuttering, and stopping in her tracks. Thinking back to the night where she'd panicked and ran, I came up to her and stood in front of the gray dog before she could run away again. "Noriko, I know that you are-"

"Useless, cowardly, p-pathetic." She finished for me, looking at me sadly. "I was going to say afraid.." I finished dejectedly. "But I've gotten to know you over these past few days, and I know that inside, you're strong."

"Pah, me? I thank you for flattering me Akimeterasu, but I'm certain you have got the wrong dog. I'm n-no warrior, I'm just an ordinary stray." She looked away again. She closed her eyes then looked up again. It looked like she was going to say something else, but then her blue eyes lit up suddenly. "Wait, what's go-going on over there?" She suddenly ran towards the entrance to the village, and I followed her, then I could see what made her so worried.

"Get away! Get away!" The merchant who normally sat just inside the village border was surrounded by imps; they chattered and laughed, and one jumped on his cart, rocking it back and forth. We could hear things falling and breaking inside. "Hey! You- stop!" Noriko barked, quiver gone from her voice. Instantly the imps turned to look at us, and directly at her. She gulped and dug her claws into the ground, she trembled. "It's ok." I said, stopping too. "We can take them."

"B-But I've never fought anyone in my whole life!" She shuddered, looking back at the imps again, who were starting to lose interest and were getting closer to the poor merchant again. Seeing this, she growled and her hackles raised. As one suddenly rushed towards the man, we both lept forward. I took the two on the right, while she leaped at the one who'd jumped up on the cart. I bit into one's shoulder, hearing it squawk- then turned around to watch Noriko. She'd headbutted into the cart, and the imp fell off, but he'd gotten up again and advanced towards Noriko.

I growled absentmindedly out of nervousness for her as I clunked the two imps' heads together, and prepared to leap in and help her, but Hiraku stopped me. "She has to do this on her own Akime." He said calmly, and steadily- staring at me with his dark eyes. _'He's right.' _ I thought to myself, but I still felt a twinge of nervousness as I watched her. She was backed up against the cliff, imp still coming closer. '_What if I really just asked a perfectly pacifistic dog to fight with me? If she gets hurt...' _ I shook my head, clearing it of negative thoughts. "She can do it, you know she can!" He said again as the imp charged, and Noriko ducked.

The imp went clear over her head and crashed headfirst into the cliff. The imp raised a hand to its head, then got up and started to swing it's flute-sword at her. She dodged each time he swung, jumping backwards. "She'll think of a way to beat it." I said aloud, partly to myself. I could see her thinking hard, bright blue eyes flashing. As the imp attacked, she jumped into the air and came down on the imp's back. The imp protested loudly, but she leaped off and ran back towards the cart, the imp got up -shaking his head- and went after her. The imps I had knocked together were starting to regain sense, and I could only see out of the corner of my eyes what Noriko was doing as I had to take care of them.

The imp was chasing her around the cart, and my heart started to sink again; until I saw her grab a heavy gong from the cart and turn it so it was in the imp's path, then she turned to face the green demon. The imp never even saw it coming, and he slammed into the metal disk with a satisfyingly pleasant _gonnnnggg_. I almost laughed out loud. Then while the imp was still recovering, Noriko grabbed another thing from the cart, a laundry-drying-pole. She held it sideways in her mouth, and swung her head at the imp. She held it against his chest and he tried to slam it aside, but she whipped it away and swung it under his legs- knocking him to the ground. The dazed imp was now getting really angry, and he tried to grab the pole away again. But Noriko whacked him firmly with her makeshift weapon, thrashing him each time he tried to attack by turning his moves against him. She was fighting him, by not fighting him. It was brilliant. Every time he tried to swipe at her with an arm or his weapon, she found some way to use his momentum to make it worse for him.

The two imps I'd been fighting were now just flowers on the ground, so all my attention was on Noriko, it was like no fighting I had ever seen. For one final time, the weary imp launched himself at her, and she clenched the elongated stick tighter between her jaws. The imp collided with the pole, and she moved it to guide the imp's body so that instead of hitting her- it flung him towards the stone wall of the canyon. I heard one final shriek from the demon, then it smashed into the wall and exploded into a cascade of flowers.

"Great job Noriko!" I barked. "Wow! I don't think I've ever seen anything like that!" Hiraku bounced around excitedly. "You basically made him defeat himself!" I wagged my tail happily. "I-I didn't know I could do that!" The gray dog stammered, but for once not in fear- but in astonishment. "I knew you could do it!" I said, waving my tail.

"I-I'm sorry, Akimeterasu." She suddenly said, spoiling the mood of the moment, and looking down at her paws. "For not trusting in you...or in myself. ..I knew I could do it, but I kept holding myself back out of fear. But I promise, I won't doubt my own inner strength, and wisdom anymore." And with that she raised her head, her blue eyes gleaming, ears pricked and curly tail lifted in triumph. I felt a warm glow of pride, then I felt something in my chest, not an emotion, but a prickling feeling- like something was trying to escape. Then a purple orb flew out of my chest and circled in the air around us. The glowing ball of light dove into Noriko, she staggered backwards a few paces as it absorbed into her. "Whoa! W-what *Cough* What was that?" She looked down at her pale chest where it disappeared.

"The power orb of wisdom!" I smiled, surprise being wiped away. "It's chosen you, you're the next Canine Warrior of Wisdom!"

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I trotted down the path, smiling to myself. 'We're almost there! After all the drama of last night, we're back on track. Hiraku and I are only missing two warriors; then, this quest will be complete!' My celebratory daze came to a quick halt, as I opened my eyes and saw Daiko standing in front of me, wearing a look I'd never seen on his haughty face before- which looked almost apologetic. "Akime.." He said, voice lower and more calm than I'd ever heard it, but instinctively my hackles started to raise, from past experience with this dog. "Maybe if we ignore him, he'll go away." Hiraku suggested, and I nodded. I picked up my pace to walk briskly past him; I didn't need or want to hear any more of his complaining.

"Akime...Listen! Wait! I want to apologize for how I acted last night." That stopped me in my tracks. "What?" I said, turning around, not sure I'd heard him correctly. "I said...I apologize." He barked, and it sounded like it almost hurt for him to speak. "I acted wrongly...I've been rude, and selfish...And I think it's time you know the truth about who I am.." I turned around and watched the black and white dog intently, waiting to hear his story.

"I know my masters are never coming back for me. I've known that for a long time. I grew up in a house near the queen's palace in the aristocratic part of Sei-an city, that much you know. I always tried to be the best dog I could, I loved my master, and my mistress even though she cared nothing for me. One day, my master left...and did not return. I didn't know what happened back then, but now I think that he must have died. I was still very young, but my mistress hated me, she never gave me attention, or even recognition. Then one day, she put me outside, and left me there, I didn't know why. What I'd done, what had happened, why any of this was happening. I waited, and waited but they never returned. I had no choice but to wait for them, but they never did come back. No one did. Not she, nor their servants, no one." He said, green eyes downcast. "I was completely alone, and eventually, I had to change to survive. The city's stray dogs didn't like me, and almost attacked me multiple times. But when I mentioned my master's status however, they started to leave me alone- fearing the wrath of my masters if they attacked their dog. I reassured them they would return any day, and took advantage of their fear. I had to do terrible things, and go against all I'd been taught about being noble to pretend to be still favored. I had to steal food from pups, be greedy and unjust to survive. I'm not honorable, I lost my honor a long time ago when I made others give me their food by threatening them with my master." His green gaze was downcast, and I could see the remorse that filled his eyes. "I came here...To apologize. I'm sorry Akime, I've been...well..."

"A completely spoiled, rotten, mollycoddled, snobbish son of a bitch?" Hiraku suggested. "Yes, I guess so." The slim dog said, looking unamused. "You offered to give me what I've always wanted, but I was so caught up in my act I forgot who I was. I needed to face those hard truths. Thank you for showing me the truth of who I'd become." He dipped his head to me, and I acknowledged it. "Thank you for the apology Daiko." I said, dipping my head in return. "Sometimes you have to apologize and compromise pride to solve your problems. Sometimes you have to lose in a competition to be truly revered, stand in the shadows and be the bigger man to be respected. Be unknown, but keep your inner honor in tact other than trade it in for petty approval. You don't need to earn glory to be honored, have friends, a home, things that really matter."

"But you're the one to talk." He said angrily, sounding more like himself. "You grew up in a temple, where you're prayed to every day!" His eyes were no longer downcast. I shook my head. "I've been blessed with more than I deserve, but I would give all that up to protect my friends Daiko. Reverence and offerings are very nice, but without what one really needs, it would be empty. Because in the end, what do boasting and pride ever bring? It's a hard lesson to learn Daiko, and I struggle with it myself, to be humble. To learn to not take the glory for yourself, because truly...it's for someone who really needs it."

"Someone who really needs it? But why not me?" He raised his hackles. "Haven't I gone through enough? I was thrown out by my masters, I had to scavenge in the streets! I've gone through more suffering than most creatures do in their entire life!" His voice rang with anger, longing and sorrow. "You're fine Daiko. You have all your legs, all your senses, loyal friends, a title and a honorable occupancy-"

"Wait, wait...What was that last one?" The dog tilted his head, and I smiled. "It took a lot of responsibility and courage to come to me and own up to your past actions Daiko, and you showed to me that you can be humble sometimes. When I saw the look of regret and sorrow in your eyes and the will to be better, I saw that you have a good heart. It showed me that you're worthy of becoming the Canine Warrior of Honor." I finished, feeling proud of the dog before me, the warm feeling welled and grew in my chest, until a bright green orb emerged from my pale white form, and circled Daiko once. He looked startled, but the green ball of light dove into his chest, and I saw a bright flash in his eyes, before he relaxed and smiled back at me. "Congratulations, Canine Warrior of Honor."

(**So he's not such a jerk after all. :) He only had that persona to protect himself from big mean doggies, like a little dog; except Daiko's just a giant toothpick with no muscle, not short. Man, this story really goes through long droughts of no activity and updates in sudden downpours. XP It may be a while until the next update, but I'm working on it!)**


	15. Chapter 14- Canine Warriors

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Canine Warriors

_'__Seven warriors down.'_ I thought to myself and yawned as I walked in a few tight circles; softening the grass beneath my paws. The sun was rising, bathing the whole village in pale morning light, -dew lighting up the leaves on the trees- but all was still quiet. I'd talked with all the dogs the night before and we'd all agreed to go to sleep early, to make sure we'd get up and be ready to set out first thing in the morning. If we didn't set out fairly soon, we wouldn't make it back in time. I'd been the first to wake, none of the others were up yet. Checking Sakuya's map before I laid back down on the grass, I saw one, singular red circle hovering outside the village, which seemed to be inching slowly closer even as the sun rose. I watched it seemingly creep closer and closer as the dawn slowly crept over the hills.

So, on the last day before the full moon, I met the final dog destined to be a warrior. I was laying under one of the giant trees near Susano's house with Ryota, Hana, Jun, Noriko, and Daiko when I saw him walk into the village in the still-early morning. He wandered into Kamiki- a large brown and black dog that wore a ragged, old, dark maroon-colored cloth over his back, and walked with purpose. He looked weary, but when he saw me he lifted his head and picked up his pace. I scrambled to my feet to greet him. Both Ryota and Shisa, the budding leaders of the troupe of warriors were still asleep, but I thought I'd meet this new dog myself, before I'd introduce them. That was my job, after all.

"Hello." The dog said, kneeling down before me politely. "Hello." I replied, dipping my head and curling my long tail around my paws. "Who are you? What brings you to Kamiki village?"

"My name is Hisao. I'm on a quest, but I think, perhaps it has at last come to an end." He barked in a steady, polite voice, looking at me, and he tilted his head. "You have the white coat and markings of a god..." He remarked, and I nodded my head. "Yes; I am a god. My name is Akimeterasu, I'm the daughter of the Sun God Amaterasu." He let out a long breath- his stiff, pointed ears relaxing. "I was sent here by another God; he came to me in a dream after my master died." I saw sorrow flash across his dark eyes, and I listened intently to his story as he began.

"My master was killed when we were attacked by monsters deep in the forest. We were surrounded, and we didn't stand a chance against them. I fought as hard as I could, but I couldn't protect him from their onslaught. They retreated once he was dead, but I refused to leave his side. I stayed with him for days after his death, not eating, not drinking...I refused to leave his side even after his soul had passed on. There I stayed for many days, until at last I fell unconscious from dehydration, or maybe starvation- I do not know. And...I had a dream. A dream that I was in a beautiful misty meadow, and a white flower stood alone in it. When I walked closer, a horse appeared out of the fog, he had a pristine white coat with red spirals decorating his skin, and introduced himself as a God. He named himself as Kazegami, and he said to me my strong loyalty had caught his attention; and he would welcome me into his band of elite warriors whom guard his shrine. He told me to come here to Kamiki Village and find 'The One', who was tasked with a mission to unite the new generation of warriors. He told me I would know them, because they would be like him. I was at first skeptical, but when I awoke I found the same snowy flower had sprung up in the night and bloomed right beside me. So I hunted and drank to regain my strength...then made my way here." He finished. I stared at him, trying to figure out whether he was telling the truth, or just trying to trick me; but why make such an elaborate lie? And how else would he know about me searching for the warriors?

I nodded my head. "Your journey was not in vain, Hisao. I have been gathering candidates to become 'Canine Warriors'- guardians of Kusa Village, and the Gale Shrine. You are the last dog, and you've arrived just in time." I said, as my chest glowed with a purple light.

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I'd just told Hiraku about Hisao's travels, and he reacted differently than most people would after being told such a tragic tale. "Is there some sort of sad-backstory competition going on that I don't know about?" He asked. "Because they keep getting worse." I shook my head and gave him a playful shove with my paw in return. But I had to admit...he wasn't wrong.

We were waiting for Shisa to say goodbye to her people, before heading out to Kusa Village; it was the last thing to be done before leaving. Kei and Gina had taken a very long time to say goodbye, but Gina was very understanding for such a young pup. "I know you'll be a great warrior." She'd said in her gentle tone. "Don't worry about me- I'll be safe here. Now it's my turn to worry about you." She'd flashed a sad smile, blue eyes brimming with tears. "It'll always be my job to worry about you." Kei said softly. "Don't worry, I have a duty to you too Gina, no matter what. I will come back for you, I won't ever abandon you." The female puppy sniffed, and stood a little straighter, blinking away tears. "You have to go, you have to become a warrior." Gina barked. "And I'll be here waiting when you get back." They'd hugged one last time, then it was time for him to join the rest of us. He looked over his shoulder regretfully, but walked to us with his head held high- even though I knew every step must hurt. I knew this goodbye was hard for both of them, being so young, and so dependent on one another. But the orb had selected him, and he needed to follow his path; even if it led him away from his sister. He knew that too, he must have felt the truth reverberate within him from the power of the orb: to be a warrior was his duty. His old one had been fulfilled, his sister was safe, now it was time to obey this one. He had made a promise though, and I would do my best to help him keep it.

Shisa's owners were standing in the doorway of their house, with the fluffy dog sitting before them. They know she's leaving, for a long time- possibly forever. I feel a clench of emotion in my chest as I watch the couple say goodbye to their pet. They bid her farewell, Nobuo bent down to pat her head, and the old woman kneeled, holding her fluffy face. "You be a good girl." She said, tears in the corners of her eyes. The young dog whined, but thumped her tail. Shisa gave them a final lick, before she walked over to us, bringing with her a beautiful, vibrant green cape across her back. "My owners gave it to me." She said, voice calmer than normal, but not sorrowful. "They seemed to know...Somehow, that I'd have to go away, and they made it for me."

Kameyo kneeled down to stroke Gina's fur, and the pup looked up at her, and then wagged her tail. All three of them watched Shisa as she joined us, and waved farewell, tears in the couple's eyes. It took no small amount of courage for either of them to leave, and I respected that. Kei was leaving behind his only family, as was Shisa. I knew Kei trusted that Kameyo and Nobuo would take care of his sister, but Shisa had faith that her people wouldn't give up on her, and wait for her. That they would welcome her back with open arms upon her return. They'll have faith in her, and she'll have faith in them, and her destiny. I turned towards the entrance of the village, and barked to get everyone's attention. "It's time." I said, and we started off, walking between the high, stone cliffs towards Shinshu Field.

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We traveled all day throughout the land towards Kusa. We ran into a few monsters on the way- although only imps and other weaker demons, and we quickly dispatched them. We made it to the edge of Shinshu by midday, and took turns hopping across lily pads and sailing on the giant water plants across the canal. Then we trekked through the quickly-recovering, tranquil trees of Agata Forest. "What do you think it'll be like?" Shisa barked, excited. Noriko shrugged shyly in response, although her smile portrayed her fellow excitement. Ryota walked near the front, by me, and we paused to let the others catch up. Kei was beginning to open up and talk to the others, after staying quiet for most of the journey. "I wonder when they'll start training us how to fight." He chimed in. "I wonder if they'll make us start training as soon as we get there..." Jun whimpered, and I saw Daiko's lips curl. "Thinking of turning back already, coward?" He sniped, and Jun flinched. "Daiko!" I growled. "Be nice!"

Now that I knew Daiko's past, I knew that the saluki did actually dislike Jun, more than just his normal outward disdain that he was trying to get rid of. Daiko viewed him as a coward, a reminder of what he used to be, and someone without honor. "Enough, Daiko." Rumbled Ryota, in his deep bark, and the Saluki looked angry, but kept his mouth shut. "Kudan." He whispered to Jun, before walking away. I sighed, it would take Ryota a lot of effort to get those two to ever get along. We continued on our way, weaving through the trees and stopping to drink from the river. Shisa ran after a herd of deer, and was chased away by a grumpy stag.

We made it to Taka Pass by nightfall, and traveled through the pass under the light of the moon, padding in single file. As we approached the bottom of the path that led up to the village, I paused, and the others stopped behind me, lining up in single file; at the ready. Even Jun, who still looked a little uncertain, stood among the others.

I watched them with pride, moonlight catching their fur and tails. They'd all fought to be where they were now; seasoned warrior, to dedicated pup. Housepet, to stray. Starlight caught in their eyes as they looked at me, full of hope and determination. They had far to go, to become full teammates in their fight to protect the Gale Shrine, to learn how to fulfill their virtues, but they all had what it took- of that I was sure. My chest swelled; these were surely the right choices!

"Come!" I barked loudly, their dark forms outlined by the sharp light of the moon. Tall and short, thick and scrawny, all together as one. "Let's go." I said, gesturing with my tail sideways for them to follow. They slipped into line behind me in almost practiced silence. The only sounds they made were our gentle footfalls on the stone steps up to Kusa Village.

**(AN: Another chapter, yay! Even if it is mostly just a filler chapter. :P I actually have two more that are almost completed, so I'll be posting those when I get them finished- which should be quite soon. ^^ I kind of rushed this one to get to the others, so I might go back and edit it a tiny bit (but nothing extreme). And I have a question for you guys: who's your favorite NG warrior? :) Let me know in the reviews!)**


	16. Chapter 15- Taking the Bait

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Taking the Bait

"We're here." I said, standing before the dark, gaping entrance of the Gale Shrine. It was nearing dawn, the dark night slightly lightening in the cliff-village, and our group. I saw mixed reactions on the dogs' faces, some were bright with anticipation, others put their ears back with nervousness. Even though he looked anxious, Ryota bravely stepped forward and was the first to walk into the cave. He was followed by Shisa, then Hana, Hisao, Daiko, Noriko, Kei, and finally Jun. "Just in time!" Hiraku whispered to me in a triumphant voice as we trailed them into the cavern; starting down the slope to the stalactite-covered room. Ryota looked around the dark room, taking it all in and I passed him, taking back the lead. "This way." I barked, -faint echo of my command bouncing off the walls- and turning to the left. To my surprise, the great stone door that was open when Chi led us down was closed, and a barrier of power glistened red in front of it. However, as we approached, each of the dogs' figures lit up in turn. Then, one by one, each dog's orb emerged from their chests and rose in a great circle above us. The halo of color spun towards the door, and slammed into place. The crimson seal was broken as all 8 orbs simultaneously filled their rightful positions amid the wind-streaked carving. The gate lifted, revealing the even larger cavern behind it.

I led them deeper, to the area with the great pool. A few of them went down to the edge and Shisa poked her paw in the water out of curiosity, before scampering to catch up with the others. Our pawsteps tapped softly on the stone, claws clicking across the surface of the smooth rock. I looked over my shoulder at them all again. The dogs near the front walked with confidence, assured in their path: Ryota, Shisa, Hisao, and Hana. However, the rest hung near the back, even surprisingly- Daiko. Kei walked briskly behind the first four, almost trotting to keep up; his blue eyes set like hard sapphires. Noriko I knew was trying to stay strong, and embrace her new life. And it seemed Daiko had reservations, given his past and past actions. Jun's position though, was predictably in the far back, walking at such a slow pace he almost stopped. I felt sorry for him- he couldn't see as well as the others in the darkness, clouded eye impeding his vision. His eyes were wide and seemed distracted, and I wondered if he was witnessing a flash of the future, or if he was only scared of his current situation.

The dark cavern was lit by the flames of my weapon, and as we traveled down the winding tunnel, the dogs themselves seemed to glow with light. As we came to the circular room, I saw that all the Warriors were gathered. The three traveling dogs had traveled to the Shine while Hiraku and I were searching for new warriors, and were there to greet us.

"Akimeterasu, you have returned!" Rei barked as he noticed my arrival. "And just in time."

"We were beginning to worry you were not going to make the deadline." Ko barked, and Chi watched us proudly as the rest of the dogs filled out behind me. Rei raised his head as his eyes fell on Daiko, who was glowing with a yellow-green light and got to his feet. "And I see you have brought all our apprentices." The other canine warriors turned their heads. I saw a similar light to that which was coming off the new dogs shining from the now faded orbs hanging around the necks of the old warriors'. Beside each of the warriors was a neatly folded cape, the same color as their own garments. Rei straightened up, and prepared to speak to the new arrivals: "Young ones, it is our honor to welcome you to the Gale Shrine. We warriors are keepers of virtue, each guarding a certain orb that centers our virtue's power, and allows us to use it in battle; to protect our home- and Nippon. Akimeterasu was tasked with finding the next generation of Canine Warriors, and I can see she did a fine job gathering all of you." My chest puffed up with pride as he spoke. "It is no easy task to be a warrior, but the orbs never mistakes one's inner value. They see one's true soul, and know who is truly worthy. Now it is up to us to bring out that worthiness, and shape you into warriors." He said, smile breaking across his gray muzzle. "Now, Akime, would you mind introducing us to our new apprentices?" I nodded, and got to my feet.

I introduced all the old Warriors to their successors in turn, and most seemed immediately impressed. Ko seemed pleased to have a pupil that shared in his name, and he liked her clever nature. Gi at first seemed startled by his apprentice. When I first introduced him, he seemed surprised, maybe taken aback. However the emotion passed quickly, and he started talking to the pup; respectfully, like he knew the maturity in his young soul. Shin seemed pleased at Shisa's eagerness, and I just hoped his steady figure could handle the hyperactive Spitz hybrid.

The last dog waiting was Chi, and I turned towards the entrance to introduce Jun- but he wasn't there. I looked around before seeing him crouched near the corner of the room. He was cowering near the floor, paws over his muzzle, and quivering. "I-I can't." He whimpered. "I'm too scared...I'm not strong enough to be a warrior...I can't control my visions...let alone fight. When I'm losing a battle against myself...How can I ever be a warrior?" His pale blue eyes were watering with shame and fear. "He's a Prophet." I told Chi. "He has visions of the future." For a moment she seemed surprised, but I didn't see a trace of disappointed, then she turned back to him. "You hold a very interesting gift for a keeper of Knowledge." She walked right up to him, and continued speaking in a gentle tone: "You're afraid." She bowed down to look him in the eyes, her gaze calm and warm. "But I will teach you how to use your knowledge as a weapon. Something that you should not fear, but face, and use to your advantage." She glowed with a soft pink light, and Jun looked up at her. "In time you will learn knowledge is truly the greatest weapon of all." His blue eyes were still fearful, but trusting, and I could see a flicker of hope in them.

I padded back down the tunnel to allow the new warriors to get to know their mentors better, turning to the right to travel deeper into the Shrine. I walked over the bridge, reaching the great elevator and propelling it to the third floor with only a single large bomb. I went through the door and went out to the deck that overlooked the village and the pass, great blades of the windmill spinning before me. The sun was now fully risen, shining over the expansive valley, illuminating the distant green hills and brightening the clear, brilliant cerulean sky. Hawks dipped and dived in the divine wind, calling out to one another as they enjoyed the strong breeze. I ascended the wooden stairs leading up to the mill, and reached the platform at the top. I stretched up on my back legs and draped my front paws over the side of the railing, divine wind ruffling my fur. _'I hope you're pleased with my choices Kazegami._' I thought, as I thought of the horse-god.

I looked at Hiraku, who had bounced off my head and was resting on the railing, and grinned. "Well Hiraku, what did I tell you?" I said, and he turned to look at me. "There are more female Canine Warriors than last time."

"But five boys!" Hiraku caught on quickly, and replied smugly. "And three girls!" He crossed his arms. "You're forgetting me!" I put a paw to my chest, and one of his eyebrows raised questioningly. "I'm a warrior too." I explained. "Ha! If you count, then I do too!" He said, laughing. "Boys still outnumber the girls!"

"Ah!" I said with a smile. "But Hiraku- you might be a warrior, but you aren't a canine!" I chuckled. "It's true!" I heard a voice behind me and I turned. Shisa -followed by Hana and Noriko- laughed. "You only wish you were!" They giggled. Hiraku looked unamused as we chuckled, and rolled his eyes. All three of them were wearing their new capes, -Shisa still wore the one her owners gave her- and they all carried the orbs beneath their necks. "Fine, even if you _might_ count -Akime-, it's still five versus four, guys win!" I rolled my eyes. "Considering how much of an improvement four is on last time, in a couple more generations all the warriors could be female!"

"Yeah whatever," Hiraku grumbled. "A girl having the power orb of BROTHERhood? Uh-huh, that's likely." He said skeptically. I gave him a stare then whacked the back of his head with my tail. The others laughed again, and as their laughter faded, I saw Noriko perhaps for the first time truly relaxed and happy. "I still can't believe this is actually happening. That I won't just be some stray anymore." Noriko barked. "To actually have a family, and friends- to have a purpose." The kai-ken smiled, and wagged her tail. "It's better than I ever dreamed."

"Yeah, just think- I'LL be the one in legends!" Shisa jumped up and down. "Not just the one telling them!"  
"It's a brave new world." I grinned. "It's a whole new life for all of you, it's bound to be filled with plenty of excitement." As I spoke, the rest of the warriors appeared from the elevator.

"Ah, Akimeterasu, there you are." Rei said, walking towards us. "We thought we should show our apprentices the jewel of the shrine, the marvelous windmill of the Gale Shrine." He said, gesturing up at the magnificent mill. Chi wagged her tail. "I'm sure Ko or I could gladly tell you all how works if you wished to know, and how long it's stood-"

"Look out!" Jun yelped suddenly, eyes wide open and terrified. We all looked around wildly. "There!" Someone howled, and I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. An incoming shadow was almost upon us, flying through the air towards the windmill, so silent that no one had noticed it approaching. For a moment, none of us could move from shock as it swooped closer, giant, black wings blocking out the sun. With ebony talons it collided with one of the blades, slicing right through it. The impact with the windmill made the whole platform shake, and I dug my claws into the wood to stay upright. I clenched my eyes shut, gritting my teeth as an awful shriek rang through the air. My eyes flung open and I ran back to the edge of the platform, watching as the shadowy creature flew off away into the sky. I lashed out at it with my rosary, but it was already out of reach, and soaring away; screeching and cackling. Clouds started to gather overhead, turning the sky gray, and the wind almost halted.

I looked behind me to see the damage the beast had done to the mill, and gasped. Its claws had torn clean through one of the blades, cracking the wood and tearing the canvas to shreds. I quickly blotted the damage with ink, and rejuvenated the blades, but the healing was slow, almost weakened. However, after a few seconds the blade was returned to normal. The wind blew weakly, barely making the mill turn. "What was that?" Shisa said. She was the first of the warriors to rise to her feet, but her legs were quivering. "I-I don't know." Rei said, also getting to his feet. "I ran into something like that in the forest, shortly before Chi found me." I said, thinking of the creature that had appeared in front of Hiraku and I when we had just escaped the ruins, which appeared out of the earth and took to the sky. Rei looked like he wanted to question me further about it, but a howl of shock cut him off.

"The Keywheel!, it's gone!" Hayabusa shouted. "What?" Rei yelped sharply, looking at him. "I saw that shadowy beast carry it off, flying with it in its clutches!" The brown dog said. The elder dogs gasped in horror. "The Keywheel?" I asked.

"The tiny windmill that rests just below the great Windmill itself. Without that key piece, the big windmill cannot turn with the wind, nor properly harness its power. The Windmill will grind against itself until it eventually stops. When that happens...When it can't capture the divine wind..." Chi answered. "Without the protection of the Windmill to harness the wind..." Shin finished for her in a rumbling voice and drifted off. "This is more than an attack. This is an insult to us!" Rei snarled.

"It was flying towards the checkpoint!" Haya barked. "It must be a subservient spirit, delivering it to the monster fortress..." Ko piped up. "Such things always happens before a major attack, they first try to bring down your defenses before they attack, but I will have none of it! We will go after this monster, and retrieve our Keywheel, for the good of Kusa Village, and the Gale Shrine! It is our duty, and ours alone!" Rei barked sharply. "We must strike first, before they move in to invade our home without protection! They wouldn't be expecting that." He howled, and the other warriors agreed, raising their voices in unison. Then he turned to me. "We shall meet you in Ryoshima Coast, Akimeterasu. Once we have trained our apprentices in the basics of battle, we shall join you. This should make a fine first assessment for the new warriors. With eighteen warriors in our midst, the monsters will be overwhelmed. They shall learn that they are aggravating forces they should not underestimate." The pointer snarled. All the dogs barked in agreement, but I held my tongue. If the creature truly wanted to hurt them, it would have done more than briefly attack the mill, why bother stealing the Keywheel? What if the creature only wanted to lure them out? I suspected there was no way to change Rei's mind, he was set on regaining the Keywheel, and I could very well be wrong. The warriors would seek to regain what was stolen, regardless of whether it was proven to be a trap or not. _'Well, one way or another I'll find out. We'll meet the Canine Warriors in the coast, on the monsters' doorstep.' _

**(AN: See, I told you I'd get it up quick! :) And the next chapter after this one is almost done too!)**


	17. Chapter 16- Once Upon A Time

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Once Upon A Time

The Celestial Plains, the realm of the gods.

Wisps of divine wind flow through the grass, and beautiful sakura trees are always in bloom on the heavenly plains. Rumors of the true layout of the plains are rampant in the mortal realm, but everyone knows and agrees that there is a giant mountain peak in the middle of the island. Little else is known for certain, and not shrouded in the mist of legend. So what mortals don't know is that beside the great mountain on the east side -facing towards the sun- lies a village; but not any ordinary village- this one is home to the gods themselves.

As one walks through, it becomes obvious the houses aren't normal, as they'd originally seemed. Twelve different temples mark both sides of the main street, each temple housing a different god, and looks just as unique as the deity residing within. One has a crowing rooster statue on top, with forever undying torches that are always lit marking the doorway and burning brightly within. Another's interior is covered in scrolls, and one even has a water floor instead of tile- each one perfectly suited to the residential god's needs. A couple others had been built in the next row for the newly discovered gods. Michigami and Kyokugami, the penguin and whale gods. And just outside the village, there is a large training-ground, including a massive field littered with dummies and all kinds of assorted tools and weapons, and a cave leading into the mountain; whose walls are riddled with ancient text like the letters in the houses. Young gods are taken there so they can learn to read it, and also how to figure things out on their own by their own resources, to become independent. The new gods are mostly trained by their parents, however Amaterasu often helps them with their raising.

The Queen of the Gods- although few on the plains ever called her that, most gods just simply called her 'Mother', while others simply called her by her true name. Amaterasu herself resides on a small rise over the village on the edge of the plains, so she can receive a clear view of the sunrise every morning. This temple is slightly larger than the others, built so out of respect for the goddess, but in appearance is more or less like the others.

Throughout the divine land were different shrines for all the gods, but one of Amaterasu's most prized -that was not her own- was the Seeing Pool: a shine to the snake goddess. The water itself does not see, but a long time ago -with Amaterasu's help- the water goddess blessed the pool of water, so that they can look upon the world of men and make sure everything is in order. So, a little bit to the left of the village, just on the edge of the forest- lay Nuregami's pool.

Yes, this is how I remembered it.

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The sky was the clearest blue that day as I wandered down to the spring. A small pond full of crystal-clear water in one of the shrines, showing events in the mortal world. I looked at the carvings of the water god Nuregami that were etched in the rocks and I sat down, changing my gaze to watch the restless water inside the spring and sighed. The etched celestial snakes in the stone around me seemed to slowly move, curling and uncurling, slithering and swimming like the real snake god. Waka's words echoed in my mind: _"The time has not yet arrived for her to leave, Ma cherie. She needs to be prepared for what is yet to come." _ I had overheard him telling that to her- to my mother. She had believed him, and I now can't leave this place. The golden-haired man prophesied a great evil approaching, and now Chibi had defeated most of it- but they were still cautious. I sighed again, my white paw dropping into the water. Curious fish swam around it and stared, darting away whenever I twitched it. I used the celestial brush out of boredom, and created a stream in the air. The fish swam through intricate tubes in midair, clearly confused, but in a few seconds the levitating water fell back into the pool. A brief smile flashed across my face in amusement. _'I love this place, but it's just so boring! You can only do a limited number of things, and after exploring the plains for four years, there's not anything new or exciting left.' _

One thing that did intrigue me was the history of the plains; the plains has a dark history. My mother had purged all evil with her return and the planting of the guardian sapling, but...It could happen again, and our home could be destroyed! If another demon attacked! WE could all be- "What are you thinking about, Ma petite fille?" I jumped to my feet, startled, and looked around in surprise at the voice, and sure enough- there was Waka. I flattened my ears and turned back to the pool. "Nothing. Go away Waka!" I growled, fur still bristling in annoyance. I wasn't fond of the fruity moon-tribe man. "Ah," He said, taking a few steps toward me with one of his big, stupid, teasing grins plastered on his face. "but then how am I to talk to you?" I rolled my eyes as a response. "I know you blame me for your inability to leave the plains. You believe my foretelling of the fate of the 'sun's son' made you miss an amazing adventure." I turned away in a huff, refusing to respond. I wasn't in the mood for any of his antics right now. "The fact you cannot go now, doesn't mean you can't ever go. But it's not just that, your mother and I agree, Chibi possesses a quality you do not- patience. Tranquility. An even head. He can handle himself in difficult situations, where you on the other hand, blow up." I rolled my eyes, curling my lip. '_She doesn't think that. He's just saying that to try and make me react. And he's the one to talk! He's no more mature than me!' _He often irritated me on purpose, making Mother get mad at both of us. "You must prove yourself before you can go on an adventure like him." He continued. _'Prove myself, huh?'_ I lifted my head, that part of what he said sticking in my mind.

_"Waka!"_ A voice called, one sounding like tinkling gold. We both turned our heads. My mother, the sun goddess Amaterasu was coming down the slope towards us. She had white fur that shone like the white light of the sun, with light streaming from her back, and detailed red markings streaked across her coat. _"I wish to speak to my daughter. Alone please; old friend."_ She said, walking gracefully towards us, her paws on the stone steps. "Fine. As you wish." He said with a shrug, and walking away. He glanced over his shoulder on his way out of the shrine at me, with something more than his typical taunt embedded in his face. He gave my mother a covert look as he passed, saying something in their close-bond-language; almost speaking without words. "See ya later, baby." He threw off the serious look, winking at Mother, and stuck his tongue out at me as he vanished.

"Why do you like him?" I asked my mother when he was out of earshot, over the hill. "He's so silly and annoying!"

_"We have been friends for a long time. And with time grows acceptance of 'silly and annoying' behavior._" My mother smiled, sitting down beside me. "_But tell me, what is troubling you? Normally he doesn't aggravate you so quickly."_ I lowered my head and put it between my paws. "Don't you sometimes think that...that maybe this place could be attacked again? Like it was before?"

_"No Akime._" My mother said smiling, with a calm, comforting feel emanating from her. _"There is nothing to be afraid about, Akuro has been defeated, and that will keep the forces of evil at bay for some time."_

"You aren't worried in the slightest?" I asked incredulously, and a little disappointedly, raising my head to look at her. _"No my little one,_" She said with a slight laugh. _"do not worry my bright little red sun. All the shadows have been vanquished from the plains."_ She said gently, nudging her nose into my side, then she got up and trotted away. Yet, I thought I saw a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, and I wondered if she was saying that just to comfort me. But it very well could have been another worry on her mind- there are many things for a god to worry about.

I looked to the edge of the Celestial Plains to my far right, beyond the shrine. my mother had always told me to stay away from there- ever since I had almost fallen off the edge as a young pup. I also remembered how panicked she was when Chibi had left. She'd been worried sick, back then she had just barely begun to teach us about the celestial brush. For the first month, she spent most of her time pacing, and looking through the pool of Nuregami, watching him. I also had been worried, but not as much. Not to say that she ignored me in her fuss over him though, I still received my training, we still walked, talked, and raced through the plains together. Then when Chibi returned, he had so many stories to tell! Tales of people he had met, his travels, and monsters! I wagged my tail. He sparked an interest in me that day that he visited us, a spark of adventure. I too wanted to have an adventure! I mumbled under my breath: "One day, when I'm all grown up, I'll leave this place, and destroy all the evil in the mortal world, so our home shall be safe forever. Every demon on earth will quake before me!"

Just then, the wind picked up, and crumpled black leaves swirled right in front of me. I stood up very quickly. The pool had disappeared, and in front of me was a stretch of dead grass covered in shadows, and a dark figure stood in the middle- darkness spreading from it in every direction. It was a wolf, a completely black wolf. Its eyes opened- and they were a blank, blinding white, that then turned crimson. The sky was red, and smelled of blood. A loud growling rose to meet my ears, and the wind threatened to blow me over. I braced, and the demon came closer, and it chanted my name over and over, "Akime! Akime! AKIME!" It grew louder and louder until it felt as if it was right in my ear. The ground disappeared beneath me, and I fell into the unending darkness.

༄༄༄༄༄༄

"HAAH!" I gasped and opened my eyes with a snap. A little poncle was standing over me, concern creasing his tiny face. "Akime! You were having a nightmare!" He said to me, getting off my face so I could rise. "Yes, I know." I said, putting a paw to my head to knead where apparently I had hit a tree with my head while thrashing about in my sleep. '_What was that dream about? I remember that day on the Celestial Plains, but there was nothing significant about it! And why was that other part there? Being chased...by some sort of demon?' _It's a common nightmare, being chased by something you fear, but what did this mean? '_This shadow creature, I couldn't see it clearly at all. And the closest thing it looked like was that shadow-being we saw outside of Tsuta and at the Gale Shrine. But this one was worse, way worse. There was something about it, that made my insides twist with...wrongness. It almost looked like...No. It couldn't be. Why now? Why am I having this dream? Is Mother trying to tell me something?'_

"What was it about?" Hiraku asked, coming closer. "Oh, it was nothing." I lied. He gave me a look. "No really!" I said, putting my ears back and smiling. "Nothing to worry about."

'_Why should I tell him when I don't understand it myself?'_

"Ok..." He said, hopping on my head as I stood up and stretched my legs in the early morning light. "Well, since we're up- we might as well get going. You know what we have to do!" He said, taking on a cheery tone.

"Onward to Ryoshima coast!"

**(AN: Jaw surgery delayed this chapter a bit, but here it is! The kind-of-ending to the first adventure! Also the fruitcake appears! And Ammy again! ^^ **

**Little Akime is a brat, a fluffy little brat. She loves messing with people and getting into trouble. Akime was not a fan of Waka, at least not when she's younger. When she was just a tiny whelp, she thought he was funny, but quickly found him annoying when he stole away Ammy's attention. The two often fought for Ammy's attention, getting into very childlike quarrels. As she grew older, she made peace with him, and learned to accept his counsel, but when she was a pup, she often fought with him, the big, silly fruitcake.**

**And thank you so much everyone for the follows, favs, and reviews, they mean a lot to me! ^^)**


	18. Chapter 17- Digging Fun

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Digging Fun

The first thing I noticed was the dry grass, which crunched beneath my toes. The checkpoint was quiet, almost deathly so. No people, no guards, no anything seemed to be anywhere nearby. The poor teahouse, which at an earlier time may have been packed with travelers, was abandoned and alone. "What's going on?" Hiraku mused aloud. "There's no one here!"

I walked forward, and suddenly noticed what the problem was. We both gasped. The valley was cursed, black, purple and red demon energy ran up and down the cliffs, and the river was empty, completely dried up. Even though the bridge was up and other side cursed, if we wanted to, we could have walked across the bottom of the river and tried to climb the far side. I walked down the ramp to the bank, where a couple small boats were nestled in sand and dirt by a tiny dock. On the far-away jutting rocks sticking out of the dry river, I saw a tiny guardian sapling that was brown and wilted, all dried up. The poor thing didn't stand a chance against the curse.

I jumped into the empty riverbed, dust came up in clouds around me- so thick so that for a moment I was covered in a haze of dirt. "What happened here?" Hiraku exclaimed, as the dust settled. "I don't remember the checkpoint being in this state!" He said, bouncing on my head, sounding worried. "Let's head upstream and check this out Akime!" I nodded my head in agreement, _'This couldn't be a normal drought.'_ I thought to myself, and we started off upstream. The riverbed was dry and dusty beneath my paws, and not too far along- I saw the carcass of a deer. One who looked like they probably died of thirst. "This is bad, Akime." Hiraku muttered from his spot on my head as we walked past the dead creature. "Let's hurry up and see what the problem is." I quickened my pace to a run, and soon enough I had run for almost a mile upstream. There were more puddles this way than near the bridge. "We must be getting closer," I said, staring in front of me. I could see a giant gray wall ahead of us: the sharp face of a cliff. We drew closer to the gigantic stone wall, then I saw it. "A Demon gate!" Hiraku cried out. "There must be powerful monsters in there if they dried up this huge stream!" He added. But as we came closer, we saw, it didn't look quite like a normal demon gate, it looked almost like a guard post. Peering behind it I saw what looked like a door in the solid rock. We had reached the end of the river, looking up I saw a dam blocking water from going off the edge of the cliff. I narrowed my eyes. "Come on Akime!" Hiraku said, grabbing my attention. "Let's get rid of the demon gate first, before worrying about that door!"

"You're right." I said, turning back to the gate, then I ran full-force into it. All at once the monsters were upon us. Crow tengu. Crow tengu and Abame appeared around us, I attacked and blew wind at the female bird demons, dispatching them quickly with a few powerful lashes from my weapon. Then I leaped at a crow tengu, only to bounce off with a yelp as it pulled its sword out for protection. Lashing my tail in agitation, I power-slashed the blade, then swiftly killed the tengu. After doing the same with two more -now wiser- the demon gate collapsed. As I was picking up the yen left behind by the monsters, I saw something happening to the door in the rock face. A sun-shaped symbol appeared on it, then it burst apart. "Let's go unblock the dam!" Hiraku shouted. "And teach those monsters a lesson!" I added. "I couldn't agree more!" He drew his needle-sized sword.

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When I went inside, I at first couldn't believe that monsters actually lived there. We stood in a grand open hall with upside-down pillars strewn symmetrically across it, the carpet was red, along with the pillars which were lined with gold. The walls were stone, the same as the cliff outside. A sign-in desk was in the left back corner, and a set of holes in the wall on the right. There was an elevator straight across from us, but it was blocked by a lockjaw. Altogether, it looked ORDERLY; not really the place you'd expect to find demons. But as I took a few steps into the room, another monster appeared. I recognized this one from the more dangerous pages of the bestiary: A Great Tengu. A huge, hulking bird-man. I'll admit it was rather tough to defeat this monster, especially as it was the first time I'd ever fought one. The long-nosed demon sent whirlwinds at me, which I dodged around, and they went off in different directions. It spewed acid at me, and I ducked behind the desk on the right. As the dangerous liquid hit it, the desk and chair behind it started to melt. Thinking of a way to weaken it, I used fireburst- my mistake. It entered fury mode, taking off its mask and unsheathing its nose-sword. I managed to escape most of its attacks, and when it finally returned to normal, it was my turn to take the offense. After that, the battle was quick.

When the great tengu's body disappeared, a lock-jaw key appeared from the same spot in the floor. It must have been some sort of guard, or gatekeeper, so I took it in my jaws and raced across the room, throwing it at the lockjaw guarding the elevator. It's tongue lolled out, then it burst apart and I ran inside. Looking at the buttons, I saw there were eleven floors, listed 0-10. We were on level 1 'The Lobby', the top one was were the dam would be, so I pressed the button. The elevator took us up slowly. It bumped along upwards, and made strange sounds as it did so. It creaked and rumbled, then shuddered violently. For a moment, it was still, so -confused- I pressed the ten button again. Then suddenly it make a loud, terrible sound, and free-fell back down the three floors we just went up. I let out a loud yelp of surprise and Hiraku shouted obscenities as we crashed down. It felt like my stomach was in my throat as we sped down the four levels to the bottom floor, deep beneath the surface of the earth. It slowed down as we approached the lowest floor, to our relief. Otherwise, we would have been meat pancakes. When the doors finally opened, I shakily got out, and my eyes were shocked by sudden dark.

We were in what looked like a boiler room. Fire glowed in stoves, and long pipes appeared above it, taking the heat somewhere. My eyes slowly adjusted, and I took a closer look at one of the stoves, coming right up to the grill. The stove made a strange sound, then it _poofed _black dust into my face. I sat back for a moment, unamused, then I shook the dust off and coughed. "'Wha's that?" I heard a loud deep voice call from deeper in the room. I saw a shadow appear from behind one of the large stoves, it was about ten feet tall and eleven feet thick. Then it turned out of the shadows and I blinked my eyes a couple times. It was a huge frog, a really, really fat frog that was wearing an apron with what appeared to be a bird on it. His green, rubbery skin was very sooty, and he stood on two big, green, floppy webbed feet. He had squinting eyes and a piece of burning straw in his mouth. He carried a giant wooden spoon in his hands as well. "Oo's there?" The big frog-creature grumbled, squinting his eyes further as he looked around, he still hadn't spotted us. "Are you one of them new recruits tha the boss 'ired?" He asked into the darkness. '_New recruits...'_ I thought, but before either of us could answer, the big frog had spotted me, and came closer, holding his large wooden spoon threateningly. "Wait! Wait!" Hiraku shouted when the frog-monster had started to raise the spoon to probably try and whack us with it. "We come in peace!"

"Oh..well, 'ello then." He lowered the spoon. "M'name's Tubba, a 'umble Akaname. Mechanic, cook, plumber, and th' only monster that actually works round 'ere. Hohoho." He said, twisting the piece of burning straw in his mouth. "Sorry 'bout the elevator, blasted thing's so busted up now it takes a tremendous amount o' firepower to get it movin 'tall!" He said, chewing on his straw, then he turned his head so his scrunched eyes were directed at us. "But 'oo are yeh, wolf?" He breathed at us. "That's no concern of yours." Hiraku huffed quietly, but I was sure I could almost feel as an idea popped into his head a moment later. "We'r- I mean- I'm just an ordinary wolf who happened to stumble into this place. And it looks so well built! How old is it?" He changed the subject in case Tubba didn't buy the story. Either way the tactic worked, the frog puffed up in pride and cut him off. "Oh this ol' place? Been 'ere fer AGES, 'least the caves it's made out of. Just took a lil cleanin an spiffin-up, then this place was right ready fer royalty!" Then, cranking some lever he said, "It weren't so easy though, these baths are built on top of a volcano, that's what 'eats the baths, see? We 'arnessed the fire of the volcano to 'eat our water, see?"

"Uh..ok." Hiraku mumbled. "Look, your faulty elevator crashed and trapped us- ME down here, is there any way to get out?"

"'COURSE there is!" The frog belched out loudly. "Well, there was..." The Akaname said, quieter. "Few days ago the lava tunnels sealed 'emselves up, which means no 'eat an no power. No 'eat an no power means no business, an that don't make the boss too 'appy dunnit?"

"Who is your boss?" Hiraku questioned. "Don' yeh know?" He said, looking surprised "Dait-Tengu! Master of the bathhouse! 'E's the richest demon in Nippon thanks to that dam I built!" The frog-creature said, twisting his straw again. "You built the dam?" Hiraku inquired. "Well 'o COURSE I did! No one else ere's smart enough to do it! Hohoho." he laughed at his own joke, his low voice shaking the ground, his big belly jostling.

"'Ey!" He suddenly said, and I jumped at the shout. "Thems' some pretty big paws ya got there!" He said, pointing at me. _'I guess…'_ I thought to myself, looking down. '_I got them from Mother...'_

"If I 'ad some diggers like that, there wouldn' be this problem with the blasted pipes!" He said, slamming a pipe to the left with his spoon that had started making weird noises- making it stop quaking. "Betcha I could unblock that plug faster than a frog's blink! Hohoho!" He laughed again, moving back to check a dial on a stove. I shifted my eyes uncomfortably. "Hey, uh Tubba. Maybe we could help." Hiraku suggested. "Would yeh?" The creature said, leaning down, and we both got a blast of bad frog breath. "Sure! It's a way for us to get out of here, and you to get your lava tunnels running again!"

"That'a be won'erful! I'm 'appier than a frog in a rainstorm! We can get the lava tunnels flowin' again, so baths will be back up-an-running, yeah, we might even get that ol' elevator working again!" Then he roared in jubilation: "This way!" and walked off back deeper into the cave. I followed behind, and saw many glass containers filled with bizarre green and blue liquids, and pipes running every which way. Everything was touched with a slightly red light from the fires.

I was unaware that Tubba had stopped, and ran into on of his big frog cheeks on accident, then got pushed out again like it was rubber. "'Ere we are!" He croaked. "After you!" He added, scooting backwards and bowing. I approached the gaping hole in front of us, it was very deep, and I began to have second thoughts. "Well come on then, what are yeh waiting fer?" The frog said, and then gave me a hard shove, and we went yelling headfirst into the hole.

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Luckily I landed on my feet, and getting a hold on my senses, I moved to the side so that the oversized Akaname didn't land on me. Tubba splattered onto the ground, then rocked himself back up onto his webbed feet. He had a lantern so that he could see deeper into the cave, and I looked around as well. The red-brown rocks were smooth and lined the cave walls, they seemed to go on forever. There was a creepy air to the whole place, and a slight echo to everything. "I'll let yeh know were the plug is when we get close, but fer now, we need to go down!" He croaked, stamping his foot, making me shake from the vibration that was sent off through the cave. "Ok..." I barked, padding forward. I tested the ground, pawing at it with my left forepaw and found it to be solid, I moved a few paces forward and scraped at it. The top layer was soft, so I started to dig a little faster. I could feel Tubba's eyes on me from behind, but I kept going. I used both paws now, digging a deep hole. Then I heard a crack, letting me know I had broken the hardest part of the ground, but I kept on, then it shattered and I fell through. To my surprise, there was another level of rock, leading in the same direction, but there were tunnels that winded off from the main strip. After making it through a couple more levels, then we came to a problem. I pawed the ground, but it was to stiff to dig through, so I tried another patch, but it was to hard as well. After trying every inch in sight, in frustration I used a cherry bomb. Big mistake; the whole cavern shook.

"Whoa!" The frog-creature said, falling from one foot to the other. "Whatever yeh did, don' do it again! We're as far down as we can go, almost in the 'eart of the volcano! Feel the ground?" He said, putting a webbed flipper hand on the earth. I felt shakes from beneath my paws. "The vent should be close now..." He said, standing. "Let's try…that tunnel!" He pointed, and I followed his blubbery finger to the first tunnel. So I trotted down the dark circular path, sticking out my white tail so he didn't lose sight of me. The last thing I wanted to do was get lost so deep beneath the earth. I led us through the twisting tunnels, to the left, to the right, to the left fork, left again, up, down, left, it made me dizzy, and lack of fresh air made me pant. Finally, we came to another dead end, the only other way was straight up through a hole, but that was impossible. I turned around, but Tubba put a hand on me. "This is it. Dig right 'ere lad!" He said, sounding excited. So I went into the middle of the shallow cave, and began to dig. The dirt caved beneath my paws and soon I hit the plug. I pounced on it and it gave way, and I was swept upwards as a blast of warm air escaped from the tunnel.

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I landed spread-eagled on the floor of Tubba's workshop, out of breath- all the air had been taken from me with the steam. Tubba bounced out of the hole after us, I was surprised the steam blast was that strong. "Whooork!" He croaked in excitement. "We did it!" He bustled around and gathered up a huge tube. Then he connected it to the hole, and not a moment to soon, the lava began to bubble up, but went into the tube and up. He turned his attention to a little dial on one of the stoves. The little lever went from green, to yellow, to red. Tubba jumped up and down. "Yahoo, cooork! We did it!" He gave me a slap on the back that made me topple over again. "The baths're back in business! And so should the elevator! Go on, try 'em out!" He helped me up and shooed me to where I came from. "See ya later lad!" Tubba called, happily, grinning a giant, toady smile. I slowly climbed into the elevator, not wanting to be rushed anymore, and waved at the smiling Akaname as the doors closed. Then I took a deep breath, and pushed the lever with my paw.

"WHAAAH!" Both Hiraku and I cried as the elevator shot upwards with incredible force. "Too. Much. Firepower!" He yelled. "EEEIIAAAH!" I screamed as it went slightly faster, I was glued against the floor of the elevator. We shot up floor after floor, past the third, the fifth, then the seventh, and ninth! When we hit the tenth, it came to a sudden, jarring stop. I was jolted off the floor by the sudden stop, about a foot in the air. I felt sick. I pressed the lever with my paw again but it was stuck. I shrugged and dizzily left the elevator.

I saw water! I shook my head to make sure, but yes, I saw a huge pool of water! Steam was rising off the surface, and I saw a few strange-looking chairs near the edge of the water, but luckily no demons were on guard. A crow tengu was taking a nap in one of the strange reclining chairs, and I sneaked past- not wanting it to wake up and alarm every other monster around of my presence.

I trotted around the pool of water, on the left side, there was a giant stone wall blocking the water's escape. I put a cherry bomb in the water next to it, but the explosive technique did nothing. The sleeping gray bird-demon snored and turned over, but didn't wake up. "Huh." Hiraku said, bouncing toward the plug. "It has demon magic over it, and it looks like the kind that can only be broken by the death of the caster..." He said upon closer inspection. "Well I think we know who cast it." I barked. "Dait-Tengu."

**(AN: Accents are hard to write. :C And fun fact: Akanames are monsters that dwell in pipes and bathrooms, and can sometimes be helpful creatures, like Tubba. They're pretty gross though, licking said placing cleans with their giant tongues. 0.o And is that right? Are we going to have another BOSS FIGHT? **

**YEAAAAHH!)**


	19. Chapter 18- Great Spirit Suppression

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Great Spirit Suppression

The elevator chugged downward, much smoother than before, heading for level 5, which had been simply labeled: 'Boss Floor'. It took a bit off effort to get the contraption going again, where we needed to get out on every floor and hit a switch to keep going, but we were finally almost there. After sneaking our way through the lower baths, the steamy, scent-filled spa, the guest quarters, and a floor filled with nothing but laundry. It had been quite difficult, but thankfully the celestial brush came in handy to sneak past guards and customers of the baths. No one knew we were there except Tubba, and a few watchful posts with eyes- which we had quickly dismantled. The cliffs were a confusing maze of rooms serving different purposes, with eye-guards and lockjaws, security systems and lazy guests. The monster-baths were very strange, with a variety of demons wearing towels around their heads and waists to walk between pools. Dead fish floating lazily, imps playing some strange game where they flailed in the water trying to hit another imp, even a chimera getting a kettle massage. I'd never such cleanly monsters. "What's the point? They're going to be in there forever to scrub off all their sins." Hiraku had whispered to me and we'd both chuckled. But even monsters must love the relaxing feel of hot water.

The demons' comfort came at the expense of the valley below it; the City Checkpoint was dying, which I couldn't allow. But Hiraku and I were finally on our way to put an end to this mess. The death of the demon that cast the curse would break it. Judging by the state of the river, there was going to be no reasoning with this monster. Tengu are sometimes known for being prideful and greedy, and I think it was safe to assume that this Dait-Tengu had both those undesirable traits.

The elevator made a sound, and came to a stop. The red doors opened, and I stepped out into another large room, somewhat similar to the lobby. The walls were stone, there was a ball-shaped object in the middle of the room, and on the far side there were three large figures. Two Great Tengu in fury form stood on either side of a magnificent chair. But seated in the throne itself, was what looked like a big mass of ruddy maroon feathers. Before I drew nearer though, I looked around the room. In the center of the room was a giant crystal ball, and the room itself was carved into the rock, with bits of water trickling down here and there. Red beams of wood went across the ceiling and held up the roof. The walls were decorated with finery, including art, sculptures, and altars. I realized the altars were not for gods, but for narcissistic reverence of the great demon himself. A giant carpet stretched across the cold stony floor, it was red and yellow, and had a giant bird on it. I looked in the giant glass ball, dark mist seemed to swirl in it, bits of what seemed to be lightning flashed inside. And the closer I looked, the image of a bird seemed to appear and disappear in the swirling cloud.

"Welcome, wolf." A voice came from the throne, deep and throaty, and I turned my head. The pile of feathers stirred, and a face appeared, red and ugly, with a long nose and bird eyes, only slightly human-like. "I am Dait-Tengu Sojobo, ruler of this magnificent palace. Welcome to my bathhouse." He spread his wings, and I stiffened, lips curling up in a snarl. "I've been hoping you would come. But I assume you're not here to delight in my baths?"

"That's right." I said, standing tall, and Hiraku stood on top of my head to translate for me. "I've come here to demand you take down your dam. I am a defender of this land, and what you've done will and already has killed others. I will not allow it to stand. Remove it now, and I promise you shall come to no harm." I had to give him at least a chance to do the right thing. "Oh, and why should I do that?" He leaned forward, leering at me. "Foolish child, do you think it was merely an accident that I built my bathhouse right on top of where the river stems? Do you not see my simple, yet devastating plan? To hoard all the water, so that people will pay for even a drop? And if you can't pay for it, well- survival of the fittest purses." He cackled. "Why should I care about the people of the checkpoint? Or let alone animals?" He said lazily. "All that matters in this world is power, something I'm sure you can appreciate. And power these days comes from money. So I shall take advantage of that power and exploit it, so people can give it to me of their own free will."

"There is far more to life than power!" I snarled. "That's not free will, it's cheating!" I growled. "Then I can see you understand how commerce works, little wolf." He grinned wickedly, rising from his chair. He wore fine clothes, but a horribly ragged coat fell down his back like a tattered cape.

I snarled and struck at him, he dodged and flew towards me. We sparred, while the two guards waited on the sidelines for permission to attack. I shot my weapon's beads at him like bullets, which struck him while he hovered in the air. He dove at me, but I spun out of the way, lashing him with my rosary and trying to power-slash him. He blew wind at me with his powerful wings, trying to knock me off my feet, but I dodged it. I came in close and scored my claws up and down his chest. He let out an inhuman-sounding screech and rose high into the air. He had a smirk on his half-human, half-bird face. He swept his wing over his head, drawing up his ragged hood, and he vanished from sight.

I froze in shock, then I felt a fierce blow to my side as something struck me. I was shunted sideways and I held in a yipe. "That's not fair!" Hiraku shouted, waving around in the air with his weapon. I was picked up and lifted into the air, and dropped. I twisted to land on my feet, before I was hit again. "Show yourself and fight, coward!" I barked, bristling. The two guard Great Tengu smirked from their positions by the throne. I panted, of course this fight was not fair, and he knew it, I thought as I looked around. That's the only reason he was fighting, because he knew he would win. I felt a blow from behind as claws raked over my back, and I was nearly knocked off my feet. But then had an idea, and whipped my tail around the room, trying to splatter him with ink. I heard a laugh. "Clever try, wolf." I saw a few drops hovering in the air, and I lashed my rosary out in its, snaking towards him, and struck him. He became visible again and sank to the ground.

I stood in a crouched position and snarled, and the great mass of collapsed feathers stirred. The tengu raised one of his giant claws out from under his dirty feathers and then he pulled himself to his feet, and began to laugh. "Well done, wolf." He said, still laughing, and I tilted my head. "But I have more than one trick up my sleeve." His laugh grew louder, and darker, and then he raised a single talon, and something released from the ceiling. I looked up, and a giant cage fell over me. I was trapped. I threw myself against the bars of the cage, but it didn't even shudder. "Let us out of here!" Both I and Hiraku commanded, but Dait-Tengu raised his dusty wings in triumph. I snarled and launched myself against the bars again. Then one of his guards came up to the cage, stretched his arm inside, and smacked me on the head faster than I could react.

That was the last thing I remembered.

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When I came to, I was in a different, darker room. There was a pool of blue water with different spouts of different colors pouring liquid into it. I was chained to a pillar with a thick gold chain that was bound to a fancy golden collar, -studded with jewels- which was clamped around my neck. There was a small metal cage was on the ground next to me. Immediately I felt alert. "Hiraku, Hiraku wake up!" I barked, and he grumbled and opened his tiny eyes slowly and rolling over in the cage, he must have been cracked over the head too. And considering the immense strength of the tengu we'd just faced, it was good he even could wake up. My weapons were gone, and the collar was tight around my throat. I struggled at the chain, but it held tight. I used powerslash, but it just bounced right off, then in desperation I used cherry bomb- but that was still no help; the explosion left no visible mark on the metal.

"Look, our godly guest has finally awoken." A familiar voice said, and I looked up, Dait-Tengu strode into the room, his dusty feathers dragging on the ground, and his cronies laughed harsh caw-like laughs. "Although I have envisioned taming gods, this was easier than I thought. Even the little poncle, -who squeezed through the bars and attacked us, blinding the eye of one of my bodyguards in the process- was harder to catch." The Great Tengu guard on his right curled up his lips in anger, I saw one of his eyes was cloudy, and staring blankly ahead.

"Do you know why we have you here? Akimeterasu?" The giant bird said, drawing my attention, and bending in closer. I growled, hackles raised. "Most monsters would have killed you on the spot, but then- most monsters have heads thicker than the stone I built on." He said. "I know what you are, Okami." He sneered, as if the word was rotten. "And what you are capable of." He leaned in closer. "I need your POWER, Akimeterasu." My lips curled, and I bared my teeth. "Never. If you think I'll let you, pathetic excuse for a demon have access to my power, then you're sadly mistaken." I snarled through my teeth. "I'll never let you use my power!" I snapped, tugging again at the chain. And though Hiraku was still groggy and couldn't translate for me, the monster seemed to understand me perfectly.

He laughed again. "Do you really think you have a choice in this? I have captured you, you are my prisoner- and therefor, you have no power. It is mine." He clenched his talons together, and an idea seemed to form in his head, then he said: "Akimeterasu, would you show me a taste of my new power?"

_'__Gladly, to cut your head off' _I thought to myself, and did nothing; I only glared at him defiantly. He glanced at one of his body guards, and it came closer, raising its weapon threateningly. My head throbbed in remembrance of the blow I got in the cage. So I rolled my eyes, and sliced one of the nearby upside-down pillars in half, making the bottom half sway and almost hit one of the tengu guards- that barely flew out of the way at the last moment. "Extraordinary, it seems she really holds some talent after all!" The giant bird said, and the tengus laughed, my eyes narrowed. "This truly is just what I needed!" His yellow bird-eyes glimmered with greed. "Though I am the king of this rich bathhouse, I now grow tired of it, I need more! More yen, more prestige and power! With you at my side, my own personal pet- I'll expand my puny bathhouse, and do more, rule Sei-an, the coast, and soon enough the whole of Nippon will be in my grasp! I will be the richest demon in the world!"

"You can't control a god." I said, this time Hiraku translated, and said it with as much negative connotation as I meant. But the master tengu laughed, a very dark laugh. "Akimeterasu, I have captured a god, a thought impossible task." He laughed again. "It seems I have in fact- overestimated the gods." With that he swept his wings around him, tattered cloak fluttering, and he walked back out of the room leaving a few behind a few crow tengu to guard us.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting. I felt despaired, and horrified at what the tengu was going to try and use me for. I had a brief flash of what he had planned, darkness, people screaming in fear and pain, and Dait Tengu standing above it all in a palace of his own creation. And I, who stood beside him, had eyes blank and dark with obedience and will to do evil, and I knew he was going to do whatever necessary to bring that goal to light. If I didn't escape, that would be my future. He would beat me and torture me, and though it might take hundreds of years for my spirit to break, -if it could at all- he might even kill Hiraku and other innocent mortals to get me to obey him. And I couldn't let that happen. I also would not have the other gods get involved, I had to get out of this mess myself, and quickly.

**(AN: Uh oh! What have Akime and Hiraku gotten themselves into now? Sojobo isn't so easily defeated- the cheater. He is basically a demon of greed. Selfish, wicked, self-serving, and isn't afraid to hurt others to accomplish what he wants.)**


	20. Ch 19- Old Man and Granny Tongue-Cutter

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Terror! Old Man and Granny Tongue-Cutter

"Akime, we have to find some way to get out of here!" Hiraku said, struggling at the bars of his cage. My heart beat so loudly that it filled my ears. The pressure on my throat choked me and hurt. I relaxed my pulling, but that trapped, suffocating feeling remained. My tender throat was encased in solid metal, but it still felt of danger and pain, the same as if there were open jaws hovering above it. I swallowed with difficulty, trying to calm down. I told myself my discomfort was all in my head- there was plenty of space in between the collar and my neck -mostly taken by fur- for me to breathe. _'Think, Akime think!'_ I berated myself. But then I was distracted from my worry when another crow tengu opened the doors and walked in carrying a pile of dirty robes.

"'Here you go Suke, it's your turn to wash the boss's robes."  
"Nuh-uh!" The tengu -who was apparently Suke- protested. "It's not my turn! I washed 'em last week!"

"Really, it was only a week ago?" Hiraku muttered, and despite ourselves we snickered. The giant bird's cloak was in horrible shape. "No, Sho washed them last week! It's your turn this time!" The first tengu broke in, and Suke puffed up. "Is not!"

"Is too, you liar!" Said the third tengu, who I guessed was possibly Sho. "Not!"

"Too!"

"Shut up!" Screeched the first monster, and Suke deflated. "Fine, fine! I'll wash his stupid robes!" The monster cawed. "And be careful with them!" Said the tengu, who was heading back out of the room. "If you put a hole in the master's special vanishing robes, he'll have your head!" Then he slammed the door, making the room darker. "Wait, what was that?" I said aloud. "Vanishing robes..." My mind snapped back to the battle when Sojobo had vanished for a few seconds before reappearing. That's how he did it! There was some sort of power imbued in his cloak, so that when he'd put the hood on, he'd vanished. Without it, he would be easily defeated! I looked around, searching for something to use, and spotted a large stone statuette on a shelf behind Hiraku's cage. I gestured to it with my nose, and Hiraku caught onto my idea.

"I don't know, sounds like Suke should get this week off to me." He said loudly. "See? See?" The one bird-demon shrieked. "Even the prisoners agree with me!"

"Now just a minute!" Sho puffed himself up. "He don't know all the facts, and I know for a fact it was me that did it last time!" While the monsters were busy arguing, I drew a large gale-mark up by the shelf, which blew over the lighter objects, and made the very top one lean back and forth. "Hey! What're you doing, Okami?" One of the tengu said, striding towards me with his weapon pointed at me. "I'm not doing anything." I barked, sitting down, and watching as the giant statue wobbled, and tipped over. The heavy statue fell, and landed right on the cage, crushing the top of it and breaking the locks and hinges on the door. Hiraku squeezed through the gap and launched himself at the tengu. "AAAGHH! Get it off! Get it off!" Suke shrieked and flapped around wildly, while Sho tried to help him. "Ouch! He got me!" He said, jerking backwards, nursing a small wound on his wingtip. I began to paint tiny inferno marks on the golden chain. Once, twice, and on the third time, it caught fire and the metal began to move downwards as it liquified. I pulled at the chains, and they ripped apart where it was melting, sending golden drops flying. I whipped it in the direction of the tengu, and the molten metal hit them straight in the face, sending them to the floor. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Hiraku cheered, and bounced over to me. I cracked my neck and stretched my limbs, flexing them. _'Dait-Tengu thought I was weak, stupid. He thought I was easily contained, that chains alone could stop me, but he was wrong, oh so very wrong, and now he's going to pay for his mistake.'_

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We had to work our way back up the bathhouse to Dait Tengu's personal floor, he'd put us on a level just above the lobby. It was some sort of purification room slash brig. We wanted to stay secret as before, so he wouldn't know of our escape. This proved difficult, as on the very next floor we ran into a powerful demon that wouldn't let us pass without a fight. The third floor was a giant kitchen, which was mainly one big room, with a couple side-rooms such as the storage room, the tool cabinet and the doors leading to the serving hall. When we pushed the doors into the main cooking area, standing at the counter was another tengu, a female one. She wasn't quite as huge as Sojobo, but she was still a large demon. She chopped something on the counter with a giant butcher's cleaver, which looked like it might have been a small animal once. The door closed behind us, making a sound. She snapped her head suddenly towards us much like an owl. She had long ears, a lengthy nose, and dark, matted hair. She looked even more monstrous than her husband. Her yellow bird's eyes narrowed in fury when she caught sight of us. "What? A God? In **my** kitchen!?" She stopped cutting, and raised herself into the air, screeching. "Never! My husband Sojobo may have wanted you alive, but now you're in Amanozako's domain, and I'll deal with you, filthy God myself!" She screamed, holding a giant knife in her talons. She bared her fangs, smiling maniacally at us. "I'll have you both for dinner!" She screeched, swinging her knife at us.

The battle with her husband had been difficult, but she was twice as ferocious a fighter. While Sojobo had been playing with us, she was actually trying to kill us. I had to dodge her swipes, plus there wasn't a lot of space in the kitchen to maneuver. She seemed to have control over the plentiful weapons in the kitchen, she made them fly out of their drawers and hurtle towards us, I had to duck behind cupboard doors to avoid being stabbed by the flying blades. The kitchen was a whir of feathers, knives and fur. I managed to slice several knives back at her, which made the monster-wife shriek in pain and fury. Her huge, witchy face was contorted in rage, horrible and terrifying to behold. She dived at us, and I ducked, but she grabbed the chain of my collar and tried to heave me into the air. I made a choking sound and dug my paws into the ground. My resistance caught her off guard as she tried to lift me into the air to be strangled. I clamped my jaws onto the chain and held on tight to pull back. I yanked my head in an arc, rearing up on my back feet, which pulled her momentum to the side, and she started flying in a giant circle, held by the chain. She harped insults at us as she tried to regain control but I kept swinging her in giant circles. I swung her into the wall, which dazed her. She was so oily, her dark feathers were shiny with it, they might have been smoothed down with it. But that gave me an idea. I stood in front of the giant oven, and she swooped down towards me, one foot with the talons extended to grab me, a knife in the other. I ducked and she soared right over me with a shriek. A burst of heat and light radiated from the oven and nearly knocked me off my feet. There was no sign of the monstrous bird-creature in the flames, she'd combusted instantly, and completely vanished. Except for one thing she'd dropped when she'd smacked into the wall. I saw it gleaming on the floor and trotted up to it, it was a golden key! Hiraku picked it up and slipped it into the keyhole on my collar, twisting it and making it pop apart and fall to the ground. I took a deep breath and stretched my neck, enjoying the free feeling. "What do we do with it now?" He said, kicking at the chain. "Melt it down? Throw it away?"  
"No, I have a better idea for this." I said, thinking about my tug-of-war with Dait-Tengu's wife. "I think it can still come in handy yet." I barked, but just then the floor shook. "Whoah! What was that?" I exclaimed, trying to keep my footing on the trembling stone. "I think that Amanozako's magic must have been helping keep this place up too. Now she's gone, the spells are weakening. They'll vanish completely when Dait-Tengu is defeated."

"Then let's not waste any more time. We can't have been the only ones to have felt that tremor." I said, pulling the lever on the wall and ran towards the elevator doors. "Right. It's time to kick some more old, feathery bird butt!"

**(AN: A second boss fight in the same dungeon? Whaaaat? But now it's time to really show Sojobo what they're made of!) **


End file.
